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SLM Corp - Quarter Report: 2022 March (Form 10-Q)



 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-Q
 
(Mark One)
☑    QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2022
or
☐    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from              to             
Commission File Number: 001-13251
 
SLM Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware52-2013874
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
300 Continental DriveNewark,Delaware19713
(Address of principal executive offices)(Zip Code)
(302) 451-0200
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $.20 per shareSLMThe NASDAQ Global Select Market
Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series B, par value $.20 per shareSLMBPThe NASDAQ Global Select Market
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes      No  
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes      No  
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
 
Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  No  
As of March 31, 2022, there were 271,083,556 shares of common stock outstanding.





SLM CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
INDEX

Part I. Financial Information  
Item 1.
Item 1.
Item 2.
Item 3.
Item 4.
PART II. Other Information
Item 1.
Item 1A.
Item 2.
Item 3.
Item 4.
Item 5.
Item 6.


2 SLM CORPORATION




 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)
March 31,December 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)20222021
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents$3,262,595 $4,334,603 
Investments:
Trading investments at fair value (cost of $33,985 and $29,049, respectively)
38,820 37,465 
Available-for-sale investments at fair value (cost of $2,440,204 and $2,535,568, respectively)
2,341,551 2,517,956 
Other investments139,108 140,037 
Total investments2,519,479 2,695,458 
Loans held for investment (net of allowance for losses of $1,227,362 and $1,165,335, respectively)
21,291,675 20,341,283 
Restricted cash 187,960 210,741 
Other interest-earning assets9,327 9,655 
Accrued interest receivable1,259,145 1,205,667 
Premises and equipment, net148,154 150,516 
Goodwill and acquired intangible assets, net125,267 — 
Income taxes receivable, net215,217 239,578 
Tax indemnification receivable8,155 8,047 
Other assets24,855 26,351 
Total assets$29,051,829 $29,221,899 
Liabilities
Deposits$21,194,026 $20,828,124 
Long-term borrowings5,552,497 5,930,990 
Other liabilities261,099 313,074 
Total liabilities27,007,622 27,072,188 
Commitments and contingencies
Equity
Preferred stock, par value $0.20 per share, 20 million shares authorized:
Series B: 2.5 million and 2.5 million shares issued, respectively, at stated value of $100 per share
251,070 251,070 
Common stock, par value $0.20 per share, 1.125 billion shares authorized: 434.6 million and 432.0 million shares issued, respectively
86,922 86,403 
Additional paid-in capital1,086,852 1,074,384 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (net of tax benefit of ($12,601) and ($5,707), respectively)
(39,514)(17,897)
Retained earnings2,913,544 2,817,134 
Total SLM Corporation stockholders’ equity before treasury stock4,298,874 4,211,094 
Less: Common stock held in treasury at cost: 163.5 million and 153.1 million shares, respectively
(2,254,667)(2,061,383)
Total equity2,044,207 2,149,711 
Total liabilities and equity$29,051,829 $29,221,899 






See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
SLM CORPORATION 3




 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
Three Months Ended
March 31,
20222021
Interest income:
Loans$458,044 $431,804 
Investments5,479 2,728 
Cash and cash equivalents1,515 1,626 
Total interest income465,038 436,158 
Interest expense:
Deposits49,537 66,598 
Interest expense on short-term borrowings2,875 3,202 
Interest expense on long-term borrowings37,594 35,244 
Total interest expense90,006 105,044 
Net interest income375,032 331,114 
Less: provisions for credit losses98,050 (225,767)
Net interest income after provisions for credit losses276,982 556,881 
Non-interest income:
Gains on sales of loans, net9,881 399,111 
Gains (losses) on derivatives and hedging activities, net(5)28 
Other income 12,049 14,288 
Total non-interest income21,925 413,427 
Non-interest expenses:
Operating expenses:
Compensation and benefits71,981 71,581 
FDIC assessment fees5,684 5,188 
Other operating expenses54,341 47,730 
Total operating expenses132,006 124,499 
Acquired intangible assets amortization expense733 — 
Restructuring expenses— 1,077 
Total non-interest expenses132,739 125,576 
Income before income tax expense 166,168 844,732 
Income tax expense37,356 203,525 
Net income 128,812 641,207 
Preferred stock dividends1,275 1,201 
Net income attributable to SLM Corporation common stock$127,537 $640,006 
Basic earnings per common share $0.46 $1.77 
Average common shares outstanding276,977 361,042 
Diluted earnings per common share$0.45 $1.75 
Average common and common equivalent shares outstanding280,654 366,240 
Declared dividends per common share$0.11 $0.03 





See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
4 SLM CORPORATION




 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)
Three Months Ended
March 31,
20222021
Net income$128,812 $641,207 
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Unrealized losses on investments(81,041)(10,071)
Unrealized gains on cash flow hedges52,530 23,423 
Total unrealized gains (losses)(28,511)13,352 
Income tax (expense) benefit6,894 (3,229)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax (expense) benefit(21,617)10,123 
Total comprehensive income$107,195 $651,330 






















See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
SLM CORPORATION 5





CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (Unaudited)
Common Stock Shares
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)Preferred Stock SharesIssuedTreasuryOutstandingPreferred StockCommon StockAdditional Paid-In CapitalAccumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)
Retained EarningsTreasury StockTotal Equity
Balance at December 31, 20202,510,696 456,729,251 (81,441,252)375,287,999 $251,070 $91,346 $1,331,247 $(34,200)$1,722,365 $(798,993)$2,562,835 
Net income— — — — — — — — 641,207 — 641,207 
Other comprehensive income, net of tax— — — — — — — 10,123 — — 10,123 
Total comprehensive income— — — — — — — — — — 651,330 
Cash dividends declared:
Common stock ($0.03 per share)
— — — — — — — — (10,906)— (10,906)
Preferred Stock, Series B ($0.48 per share)
— — — — — — — — (1,201)— (1,201)
Dividend equivalent units related to employee stock-based compensation plans— — — — — — 463 — (479)— (16)
Issuance of common shares— 2,826,387 — 2,826,387 — 565 1,496 — — — 2,061 
Stock-based compensation expense— — — — — — 11,124 — — — 11,124 
Common stock repurchased and cancelled— (28,502,460)— (28,502,460)— (5,700)(466,110)— — — (471,810)
Common stock repurchased— — (20,200,370)(20,200,370)— — 174,684 — — (295,324)(120,640)
Shares repurchased related to employee stock-based compensation plans— — (1,059,980)(1,059,980)— — — — — (14,313)(14,313)
Balance at March 31, 20212,510,696 431,053,178 (102,701,602)328,351,576 $251,070 $86,211 $1,052,904 $(24,077)$2,350,986 $(1,108,630)$2,608,464 













See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
6 SLM CORPORATION




CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (Unaudited)
Common Stock Shares
(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)Preferred Stock SharesIssuedTreasuryOutstandingPreferred StockCommon StockAdditional Paid-In CapitalAccumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Loss
Retained EarningsTreasury StockTotal Equity
Balance at December 31, 20212,510,696 432,013,372 (153,056,639)278,956,733 $251,070 $86,403 $1,074,384 $(17,897)$2,817,134 $(2,061,383)$2,149,711 
Net income— — — — — — — — 128,812 — 128,812 
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax— — — — — — — (21,617)— — (21,617)
Total comprehensive income— — — — — — — — — — 107,195 
Cash dividends declared:
Common stock ($0.11 per share)
— — — — — — — — (30,493)— (30,493)
Preferred Stock, Series B ($0.51 per share)
— — — — — — — — (1,275)— (1,275)
Dividend equivalent units related to employee stock-based compensation plans— — — — — — 618 — (634)— (16)
Issuance of common shares— 2,594,817 — 2,594,817 — 519 (71)— — — 448 
Stock-based compensation expense— — — — — — 11,921 — — — 11,921 
Common stock repurchased— — (9,533,392)(9,533,392)— — — — — (175,943)(175,943)
Shares repurchased related to employee stock-based compensation plans— — (934,602)(934,602)— — — — — (17,341)(17,341)
Balance at March 31, 20222,510,696 434,608,189 (163,524,633)271,083,556 $251,070 $86,922 $1,086,852 $(39,514)$2,913,544 $(2,254,667)$2,044,207 
















See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.


SLM CORPORATION 7



CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Operating activities
Net income$128,812 $641,207 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Provisions for credit losses98,050 (225,767)
Income tax expense37,356 203,525 
Amortization of brokered deposit placement fee3,425 4,307 
Amortization of Secured Borrowing Facility upfront fee569 773 
Amortization of deferred loan origination costs and loan premium/(discounts), net4,455 4,016 
Net amortization of discount on investments965 2,161 
Reduction (increase) in tax indemnification receivable(108)2,814 
Depreciation of premises and equipment4,189 3,715 
Acquired intangible assets amortization expense733 — 
Stock-based compensation expense11,921 11,124 
Unrealized (gains) losses on derivatives and hedging activities, net315 10,872 
Gains on sales of loans, net(9,881)(399,111)
Acquisition transaction costs, net2,511 — 
Other adjustments to net income, net7,235 2,578 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Increase in accrued interest receivable(185,294)(183,168)
Increase in non-marketable securities(992)(317)
Decrease in other interest-earning assets328 19,282 
Increase in other assets(17,529)(51,667)
Decrease in income taxes payable, net(4,243)(270)
Increase (decrease) in accrued interest payable14,779 (9,081)
Increase (decrease) in other liabilities(34,808)8,759 
Total adjustments(66,024)(595,455)
Total net cash provided by operating activities62,788 45,752 
Investing activities
Loans acquired and originated(2,215,958)(2,076,635)
Net proceeds from sales of loans held for investment45,729 3,436,391 
Proceeds from FFELP Loan claim payments5,594 4,602 
Net decrease in loans held for investment (other than loan sales)1,153,297 1,021,353 
Purchases of available-for-sale securities(536,633)(200,716)
Proceeds from sales and maturities of available-for-sale securities686,806 205,367 
Purchase of subsidiary, net of cash acquired(127,702)— 
Total net cash (used in) provided by investing activities(988,867)2,390,362 
Financing activities
Brokered deposit placement fee(2,207)— 
Net decrease in certificates of deposit(127,815)(686,344)
Net increase in other deposits543,767 850,408 
Borrowings collateralized by loans in securitization trusts - repaid(381,005)(272,123)
Issuance costs for unsecured debt offering(360)(325)
Fees paid on Secured Borrowing Facility— (2,833)
Common stock dividends paid(30,493)(10,906)
Preferred stock dividends paid(1,275)(1,201)
Common stock repurchased(169,322)(550,790)
Total net cash used in financing activities(168,710)(674,114)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash(1,094,789)1,762,000 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period4,545,344 4,609,709 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period$3,450,555 $6,371,709 
8 SLM CORPORATION


Cash disbursements made for:
Interest$68,458 $76,491 
Income taxes paid$5,066 $887 
Income taxes refunded$(916)$(1,049)
Reconciliation of the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows to the Consolidated Balance Sheets:
Cash and cash equivalents$3,262,595 $6,207,001 
Restricted cash187,960 164,708 
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash$3,450,555 $6,371,709 




















See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
SLM CORPORATION 9





1. Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited, consolidated financial statements of SLM Corporation (“Sallie Mae,” “SLM,” the “Company,” “we,” or “us”) have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SLM Corporation and its majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries after eliminating the effects of intercompany accounts and transactions. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods have been included. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results for the year ending December 31, 2022 or for any other period. These unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the “2021 Form 10-K”).
Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries after eliminating the effects of intercompany accounts and transactions.
We consolidate any variable interest entity (“VIE”) where we have determined we are the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is the entity which has both: (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance; and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses or receive benefits of the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE.
Business Combination
On March 4, 2022, we completed the previously announced acquisition of the assets primarily used or held for use of Epic Research Education Services, LLC, which does business as Nitro College (“Nitro”). Nitro provides resources that help students and families evaluate how to responsibly pay for college and manage their financial responsibilities after graduation. The addition of Nitro will support our mission of providing students with the confidence needed to successfully navigate the higher education journey. Strategically, we expect the acquisition of the Nitro assets, including its employees and intellectual property, to immediately expand our digital marketing capabilities, reduce the cost to acquire customer accounts, and accelerate our progress to become a broader education solutions provider for students before, during, and immediately after college.
The acquisition was accounted for as a business combination using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB’s”) Accounting Standard Codification 805, “Business Combinations,” whereby as of the acquisition date, the acquired tangible assets and liabilities were recorded at their estimated fair values. The identifiable intangible assets were recorded at fair values as determined by an independent appraiser. The final purchase price allocation for Nitro resulted in an excess purchase price over fair value of net assets acquired, or goodwill, of $51 million. Certain amounts are provisional and are subject to change, including final working capital adjustments and goodwill.
The results of operations of Nitro have been included in our consolidated financial statements since the acquisition date. We have not disclosed the pro forma impact of this acquisition to the results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022, as the pro forma impact was deemed immaterial. Transaction costs associated with the Nitro acquisition were approximately $3 million and were expensed as incurred within “Other operating expenses” in the consolidated statements of income.
Identifiable intangible assets at the acquisition date included definite life intangible assets with an aggregate fair value of approximately $75 million, including tradename and trademarks, customer relationships, and developed technology. The intangible assets will be amortized over a period of three to 10 years based on the estimated economic benefit derived from each of the underlying assets.
See Note 6, “Goodwill and Acquired Intangible Assets,” for additional details.

10 SLM CORPORATION


1.Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)


Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
On March 31, 2022, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2022-02, “Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures” (“ASU No. 2022-02”), which eliminates the accounting guidance for troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) while enhancing disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancings and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. The enhanced disclosures are required to be provided for modifications made starting in the period of adoption. Information about modifications in periods before adoption is not required to be provided.
ASU No. 2022-02 also requires that entities disclose current-period gross charge-offs by year of origination. For entities that have adopted the amendments in ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“CECL”), the amendment is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years.
Early adoption of the amendments in ASU No. 2022-02 is permitted if an entity has adopted CECL. The amendments should be applied prospectively. For the transition method related to the recognition and measurement of TDRs, an entity has the option to apply a modified retrospective transition method. We have elected to early adopt in all aspects ASU No. 2022-02 prospectively for the period beginning January 1, 2022. The adoption did not affect our consolidated financial statements. For additional information, see Note 4, "Allowance for Credit Losses".


SLM CORPORATION 11


2. Investments
Trading Investments
We periodically sell Private Education Loans through securitization transactions where we are required to retain a five percent vertical risk retention interest (i.e., five percent of each class issued in the securitizations). We classify those vertical risk retention interests related to the transactions as available-for-sale investments, except for the interest in the residual classes, which we classify as trading investments recorded at fair value with changes recorded through earnings. At March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had $39 million and $37 million, respectively, classified as trading investments.
Available-for-Sale Investments
The amortized cost and fair value of securities available for sale are as follows:

As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
Amortized Cost
Allowance for credit losses(1)
Gross Unrealized GainsGross Unrealized LossesEstimated Fair Value
Available-for-sale:
Mortgage-backed securities$400,647 $— $74 $(29,641)$371,080 
Utah Housing Corporation bonds4,926 — — (77)4,849 
U.S. government-sponsored enterprises and Treasuries1,799,080 — — (63,830)1,735,250 
Other securities235,551 — — (5,179)230,372 
Total $2,440,204 $— $74 $(98,727)$2,341,551 
As of December 31, 2021
(dollars in thousands)
Amortized Cost
Allowance for credit losses(1)
Gross Unrealized GainsGross Unrealized LossesEstimated Fair Value
Available-for-sale:
Mortgage-backed securities$376,313 $— $1,857 $(7,073)$371,097 
Utah Housing Corporation bonds6,943 — 18 — 6,961 
U.S. government-sponsored enterprises and Treasuries1,958,943 — 603 (11,893)1,947,653 
Other securities193,369 — 439 (1,563)192,245 
Total $2,535,568 $— $2,917 $(20,529)$2,517,956 


(1) Represents the amount of impairment that has resulted from credit-related factors and that was recognized in the consolidated balance sheets (as a credit loss expense on available-for-sale securities). The amount excludes unrealized losses related to non-credit factors.

12 SLM CORPORATION


2.Investments (Continued)
The following table summarizes the amount of gross unrealized losses for our available-for-sale securities and the estimated fair value for securities having gross unrealized loss positions, categorized by length of time the securities have been in an unrealized loss position:

(Dollars in thousands)
Less than 12 months12 months or moreTotal
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Estimated
Fair Value
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Estimated
Fair Value
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
Estimated
Fair Value
As of March 31, 2022:
Mortgage-backed securities$(12,056)$188,447 $(17,585)$176,659 $(29,641)$365,106 
Utah Housing Corporation bonds(77)4,849 — — (77)4,849 
U.S. government-sponsored enterprises and Treasuries(61,996)1,647,055 (1,834)63,176 (63,830)1,710,231 
Other securities(3,266)137,845 (1,913)36,752 (5,179)174,597 
Total$(77,395)$1,978,196 $(21,332)$276,587 $(98,727)$2,254,783 
As of December 31, 2021:
Mortgage-backed securities$(5,534)$261,404 $(1,540)$36,587 $(7,074)$297,991 
Utah Housing Corporation bonds— — — — — — 
U.S. government-sponsored enterprises and Treasuries(11,892)1,199,367 — — (11,892)1,199,367 
Other securities(1,563)132,884 — — (1,563)132,884 
Total$(18,989)$1,593,655 $(1,540)$36,587 $(20,529)$1,630,242 

At March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, 158 of 186 and 60 of 180, respectively, of our available-for-sale securities were in an unrealized loss position.
Impairment
For available-for-sale securities in an unrealized loss position, we first assess whether we intend to sell, or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. If either of these criteria is met, the security’s amortized cost basis is written down to fair value through income. For securities in an unrealized loss position that do not meet these criteria, we evaluate whether the decline in fair value has resulted from credit loss or other factors. In making this assessment, we consider the extent to which fair value is less than amortized cost, any changes to the rating of the security by a rating agency, adverse conditions specifically related to the security, as well as any guarantees (e.g., guarantees by the U.S. Government) that may be applicable to the security. If this assessment indicates a credit loss exists, the credit-related portion of the loss is recorded as an allowance for losses on the security.
Our investment portfolio contains mortgage-backed securities issued by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, as well as Utah Housing Corporation bonds. We own these securities to meet our requirements under the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”). We also invest in other U.S. government-sponsored enterprise securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Bank, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Farm Credit Bank. Our mortgage-backed securities that were issued under Ginnie Mae programs carry a full faith and credit guarantee from the U.S. Government. The remaining mortgage-backed securities in a net loss position carry a principal and interest guarantee by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, respectively. Our Treasury and other U.S. government-sponsored enterprise bonds are rated Aaa by Moody’s Investors Service or AA+ by Standard and Poor’s. The decline in value from December 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022 was driven by the current interest rate environment and is not credit related. We have the intent and ability to hold these bonds for a period of time sufficient for the market price to recover to at least the adjusted amortized cost of the security. Based on this qualitative analysis, we have determined that no credit impairment exists.
We periodically sell Private Education Loans through securitization transactions where we are required to retain a five percent vertical risk retention interest. We classify the non-residual vertical risk retention interests as available-for-sale investments. We have the intent and ability to hold each of these bonds for a period of time sufficient for the market price to recover to at least the adjusted amortized cost of the security. We expect to receive all contractual cash flows related to these investments and do not consider a credit impairment to exist.
SLM CORPORATION 13


2.Investments (Continued)
As of March 31, 2022, the amortized cost and fair value of securities, by contractual maturities, are summarized below. Contractual maturities versus actual maturities may differ due to the effect of prepayments.
As of March 31, 2022
Year of Maturity
(dollars in thousands)
Amortized CostEstimated Fair Value
2022$194,309 $193,447 
2023162,595 159,383 
2024597,268 577,077 
2025297,077 293,021 
2026547,832 512,323 
203873 76 
2039873 916 
20422,912 2,768 
20435,415 5,336 
20447,015 6,959 
20456,158 6,018 
20469,374 9,085 
20479,957 9,751 
20482,427 2,437 
204918,261 17,902 
2050127,490 116,445 
2051174,646 159,542 
205240,972 38,693 
2053132,336 128,621 
2054103,214 101,751 
Total$2,440,204 $2,341,551 

Some of our securities have been pledged to the Federal Reserve Bank (the “FRB”) as collateral against any advances and accrued interest under the Primary Credit lending program sponsored by the FRB. We had $720 million and $888 million par value of securities pledged to this borrowing facility at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, as discussed further in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 8, “Borrowings.”
Other Investments
Investments in Non-Marketable Securities
We hold investments in non-marketable securities and account for these investments at cost, less impairment, plus or minus observable price changes of identical or similar securities of the same issuer. Changes in market value are recorded through earnings. Because these are non-marketable securities, we use observable price changes of identical or similar securities of the same issuer in determining any changes in the value of the securities. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, our total investment in these securities was $69 million and $69 million, respectively.
Low Income Housing Tax Credit Investments
We invest in affordable housing projects that qualify for the low-income housing tax credit (“LIHTC”), which is designed to promote private development of low-income housing. These investments generate a return mostly through realization of federal tax credits and tax benefits from net operating losses on the underlying properties. Total carrying value of the LIHTC investments was $66 million at March 31, 2022 and $68 million at December 31, 2021. We are periodically required to provide additional financial support during the investment period. Our liability for these unfunded commitments was $28 million at March 31, 2022 and $30 million at December 31, 2021.
Related to these investments, we recognized tax credits and other tax benefits through tax expense of less than $1 million at March 31, 2022 and $7 million at December 31, 2021. Tax credits and other tax benefits are recognized as
14 SLM CORPORATION


2.Investments (Continued)
part of our annual effective tax rate used to determine tax expense in a given quarter. Accordingly, the portion of a year’s expected tax benefits recognized in any given quarter may differ from 25 percent.

3. Loans Held for Investment
Loans held for investment consist of Private Education Loans, FFELP Loans, and Credit Cards. We use “Private Education Loans” to mean education loans to students or their families that are not made, insured, or guaranteed by any state or federal government. Private Education Loans do not include loans insured or guaranteed under the previously existing Federal Family Education Loan Program (“FFELP”). We use “Credit Cards” to refer to our suite of Credit Cards with bonus rewards.
Our Private Education Loans are made largely to bridge the gap between the cost of higher education and the amount funded through financial aid, government loans, and customers’ resources. Private Education Loans bear the full credit risk of the customer. We manage this risk through risk-performance underwriting strategies and qualified cosigners. Private Education Loans may be fixed-rate or may carry a variable interest rate indexed to LIBOR, the London interbank offered rate, or SOFR, the Secured Overnight Financing Rate. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, 51 percent and 52 percent, respectively, of all of our Private Education Loans were indexed to LIBOR or SOFR. We provide incentives for customers to include a cosigner on the loan, and the vast majority of Private Education Loans in our portfolio are cosigned. We also encourage customers to make payments while in school.
FFELP Loans are insured as to their principal and accrued interest in the event of default, subject to a risk-sharing level based on the date of loan disbursement. These insurance obligations are supported by contractual rights against the United States. For loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2006, we receive 97 percent reimbursement on all qualifying claims. For loans disbursed after October 1, 1993, and before July 1, 2006, we receive 98 percent reimbursement on all qualifying claims. For loans disbursed prior to October 1, 1993, we receive 100 percent reimbursement on all qualifying claims.
In the first quarter of 2022, we recognized $10 million in gains from the sale of approximately $95 million of our Private Education Loans, including $89 million of principal and $6 million in capitalized interest, to an unaffiliated third party. In the first quarter of 2021, we recognized $399 million in gains from the sale of approximately $3.16 billion of our Private Education Loans, including $2.97 billion of principal and $193 million in capitalized interest, to an unaffiliated third party. There were VIEs created in the execution of certain of these loan sales; however, based on our consolidation analysis, we are not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs. These transactions qualified for sale treatment and removed the balance of the loans from our balance sheet on the respective settlement dates. We remained the servicer of these loans pursuant to applicable servicing agreements executed in connection with the sales. For additional information, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 8, “Borrowings - Unconsolidated VIEs.”

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3.Loans Held for Investment (Continued)
Loans held for investment are summarized as follows:
March 31,December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Private Education Loans:
Fixed-rate$10,685,053 $9,920,547 
Variable-rate11,050,316 10,796,316 
Total Private Education Loans, gross21,735,369 20,716,863 
Deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)71,907 67,488 
Allowance for credit losses(1,221,053)(1,158,977)
Total Private Education Loans, net20,586,223 19,625,374 
FFELP Loans682,273 695,216 
Deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)1,770 1,815 
Allowance for credit losses(3,999)(4,077)
Total FFELP Loans, net680,044 692,954 
Credit Cards (fixed-rate)27,547 25,014 
Deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)171 222 
Allowance for credit losses(2,310)(2,281)
Total Credit Cards, net25,408 22,955 
Loans held for investment, net$21,291,675 $20,341,283 
 
The estimated weighted average life of education loans in our portfolio was approximately 4.8 years and 4.7 years at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

The average balance and the respective weighted average interest rates of loans in our portfolio are summarized as follows:

20222021
Three Months Ended March 31,
(dollars in thousands)
Average BalanceWeighted Average Interest RateAverage BalanceWeighted Average Interest Rate
Private Education Loans$21,858,270 8.38 %$20,984,491 8.22 %
FFELP Loans690,540 3.51 734,289 3.41 
Credit Cards26,622 3.95 11,841 0.78 
Total portfolio$22,575,432 $21,730,621 





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4. Allowance for Credit Losses
Our provision for credit losses represents the periodic expense of maintaining an allowance sufficient to absorb lifetime expected credit losses in the held for investment loan portfolios. The evaluation of the allowance for credit losses is inherently subjective, as it requires material estimates that may be susceptible to significant changes. We believe the allowance for credit losses is appropriate to cover lifetime losses expected to be incurred in the loan portfolios. See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies — Allowance for Credit Losses - 2021 and 2020 — Allowance for Private Education Loan Losses - 2021 and 2020, — Allowance for FFELP Loan Losses - 2021 and 2020, and — Allowance for Credit Card Loans - 2021 and 2020” in our 2021 Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion.

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4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)

Allowance for Credit Losses Metrics

Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
FFELP
Loans
Private Education
Loans
Credit CardsTotal
Allowance for Credit Losses
Beginning balance$4,077 $1,158,977 $2,281 $1,165,335 
Transfer from unfunded commitment liability(1)
— 94,686 — 94,686 
Provisions:
Provision for current period21 48,460 137 48,618 
Loan sale reduction to provision— (5,247)— (5,247)
Total provisions(2)
21 43,213 137 43,371 
Net charge-offs:
Charge-offs(99)(83,856)(111)(84,066)
Recoveries— 8,033 8,036 
Net charge-offs(99)(75,823)(108)(76,030)
Ending Balance$3,999 $1,221,053 $2,310 $1,227,362 
Allowance:
Ending balance: individually evaluated for impairment$— $— $— $— 
Ending balance: collectively evaluated for impairment$3,999 $1,221,053 $2,310 $1,227,362 
Loans:
Ending balance: individually evaluated for impairment$— $— $— $— 
Ending balance: collectively evaluated for impairment$682,273 $21,735,369 $27,547 $22,445,189 
Net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans in repayment (annualized)(3)
0.07 %1.89 %1.63 %
Allowance as a percentage of the ending total loan balance0.59 %5.62 %8.39 %
Allowance as a percentage of the ending loans in repayment(3)
0.75 %7.59 %8.39 %
Allowance coverage of net charge-offs (annualized)10.10 4.03 5.35 
Ending total loans, gross$682,273 $21,735,369 $27,547 
Average loans in repayment(3)
$543,303 $16,013,289 $26,551 
Ending loans in repayment(3)
$535,080 $16,095,157 $27,547 

(1) See Note 5, “Unfunded Loan Commitments,” for a summary of the activity in the allowance for and balance of unfunded loan commitments, respectively.
(2) Below is a reconciliation of the provisions for credit losses reported in the consolidated statements of income. When a new loan commitment is made, we record the CECL allowance as a liability for unfunded loan commitments by recording a provision for credit losses. When the loan is funded, we transfer that liability to the allowance for credit losses.
Consolidated Statements of Income
Provisions for Credit Losses Reconciliation
Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 (dollars in thousands)
Private Education Loan provisions for credit losses:
Provisions for loan losses$43,213 
Provisions for unfunded loan commitments54,679 
Total Private Education Loan provisions for credit losses97,892 
Other impacts to the provisions for credit losses:
FFELP Loans21 
Credit Cards137 
Total158 
Provisions for credit losses reported in consolidated statements of income$98,050 

(3) Loans in repayment include loans on which borrowers are making interest only or fixed payments, as well as loans that have entered full principal and interest repayment status after any applicable grace period.


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4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)

Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
(dollars in thousands)
FFELP 
Loans
Private Education
Loans
Credit CardsTotal
Allowance for Credit Losses
Beginning balance$4,378 $1,355,844 $1,501 $1,361,723 
Transfer from unfunded commitment liability(1)
— 126,880 — 126,880 
Provisions:
Provision for current period29 (254,942)(86)(254,999)
Loan sale reduction to provision— (8,858)— (8,858)
Loans transferred from held-for-sale— 1,887 — 1,887 
Total provisions(2)
29 (261,913)(86)(261,970)
Net charge-offs:
Charge-offs(89)(55,139)(88)(55,316)
Recoveries— 7,703 7,704 
Net charge-offs(89)(47,436)(87)(47,612)
Ending Balance$4,318 $1,173,375 $1,328 $1,179,021 
Allowance:
Ending balance: individually evaluated for impairment$— $95,536 $— $95,536 
Ending balance: collectively evaluated for impairment$4,318 $1,077,839 $1,328 $1,083,485 
Loans:
Ending balance: individually evaluated for impairment$— $1,225,604 $— $1,225,604 
Ending balance: collectively evaluated for impairment$727,664 $19,516,236 $11,309 $20,255,209 
Net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans in repayment (annualized)(3)
0.06 %1.29 %2.92 %
Allowance as a percentage of the ending total loan balance0.59 %5.66 %11.74 %
Allowance as a percentage of the ending loans in repayment(3)
0.80 %7.94 %11.74 %
Allowance coverage of net charge-offs (annualized)12.13 6.18 3.82 
Ending total loans, gross$727,664 $20,741,840 $11,309 
Average loans in repayment(3)
$554,510 $14,743,508 $11,909 
Ending loans in repayment(3)
$540,903 $14,777,939 $11,309 
(1) See Note 5, “Unfunded Loan Commitments,” for a summary of the activity in the allowance for and balance of unfunded loan commitments, respectively.
(2) Below is a reconciliation of the provisions for credit losses reported in the consolidated statements of income. When a new loan commitment is made, we record the CECL allowance as a liability for unfunded loan commitments by recording a provision for credit losses. When the loan is funded, we transfer that liability to the allowance for credit losses.
Consolidated Statements of Income
Provisions for Credit Losses Reconciliation
Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 (dollars in thousands)
Private Education Loan provisions for credit losses:
Provisions for loan losses$(261,913)
Provisions for unfunded loan commitments36,203 
Total Private Education Loan provisions for credit losses(225,710)
Other impacts to the provisions for credit losses:
FFELP Loans29 
Credit Cards(86)
Total(57)
Provisions for credit losses reported in consolidated statements of income$(225,767)
(3) Loans in repayment include loans on which borrowers are making interest only or fixed payments, as well as loans that have entered full principal and interest repayment status after any applicable grace period.

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4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)

Allowance for Credit Losses - Forecast Assumptions
In determining the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses, we include forecasts of college graduate unemployment and the Consumer Price Index in our loss forecasting models. We obtain forecasts for these two inputs from Moody’s Analytics. Moody’s Analytics provides a range of forecasts for each of these inputs with various likelihoods of occurring. We determine which forecasts we will include in our estimation of allowance for credit losses and the associated weightings for each of these inputs. At March 31, 2021, December 31, 2021, and March 31, 2022, we used the Base (50th percentile likelihood of occurring)/S1 (stronger near-term growth scenario with 10 percent likelihood of occurring)/S3 (downside scenario with 10 percent likelihood of occurring) scenarios and weighted them 40 percent, 30 percent and 30 percent, respectively. Management reviews both the scenarios and their respective weightings each quarter in determining the allowance for credit losses.
Provisions for credit losses in the three months ended March 31, 2022 increased by $324 million compared with the year-ago period. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, the provision for credit losses was primarily affected by increased commitments and additional management overlays, which were partially offset by improved economic forecasts and faster prepayment rates.
During the first quarter of 2021, we increased our estimates of future prepayment speeds during both the two-year reasonable and supportable period as well as the remaining term of the underlying loans. These faster estimated prepayment speeds during the two-year reasonable and supportable period reflected the significant improvement in economic forecasts, as well as the implementation of an updated prepayment speed model. We experienced higher prepayments during the COVID-19 pandemic, when unemployment rates were elevated, than we would have expected based upon our experience during past financial crises.
Loan Modifications to Borrowers Experiencing Financial Difficulty
The allowance for credit losses incorporates an estimate of lifetime expected credit losses and is recorded on each asset upon asset origination or acquisition. The starting point for the estimate of the allowance for credit losses is historical information, which includes losses from modifications of receivables whose borrowers are experiencing financial difficulty. We use a discounted cash flow model to determine the allowance for credit losses. An assessment of whether a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty is made on the date of a modification.
The effect of most modifications of loans made to borrowers who are experiencing financial difficulty is already included in the allowance for credit losses because of the measurement methodologies used to estimate the allowance. The forecast of expected future cash flows is updated as the loan modifications occur.
We adjust the terms of loans for certain borrowers when we believe such changes will help our customers manage their student loan obligations and achieve better student outcomes, and increase the collectability of the loans. These changes generally take the form of a temporary forbearance of payments, a temporary interest rate reduction, a temporary interest rate reduction with a permanent extension of the loan term, and/or a short-term extended repayment alternative.
When we give a borrower facing financial difficulty an interest rate reduction, we temporarily reduce the contractual interest rate on a loan (currently to 4.0 percent) for a two-year period and, in the vast majority of cases, permanently extend the final maturity date of the loan. The combination of these two loan term changes helps reduce the monthly payment due from the borrower and increases the likelihood the borrower will remain current during the interest rate modification period as well as when the loan returns to its original contractual interest rate.
Within the Private Education Loan portfolio, we deem loans greater than 90 days past due as nonperforming. FFELP Loans are at least 97 percent guaranteed as to their principal and accrued interest by the federal government in the event of default and, therefore, we do not deem FFELP Loans as nonperforming from a credit risk perspective at any point in their life cycle prior to claim payment and continue to accrue interest on those loans through the date of claim.
For additional information, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies —Allowance for Credit Losses - 2021 and 2020,” and Note 7, “Allowance for Credit Losses” in our 2021 Form 10-K.

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4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)

Under our current forbearance practices, temporary forbearance of payments is generally granted in one-to-two month increments, for up to 12 months over the life of the loan, with 12 months of positive payment performance by a borrower required between grants (meaning the borrower must make payment in a cumulative amount equivalent to 12 monthly required payments under the loan). See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 5, “Loans Held for Investment — Certain Collection Tools - Private Education Loans” in our 2021 Form 10-K. In the first quarter of 2022, we adopted ASU No. 2022-02 (see Note 1, “Significant Accounting Policies” in this Form 10-Q). Under this new amendment, if the debt has been previously restructured, an entity must consider the cumulative effect of past restructurings made within the 12-month period before the current restructuring when determining whether a delay in payment resulting from the current restructuring is insignificant. Due to our current forbearance practices, including the limitations on forbearances offered to borrowers, we do not believe the granting of forbearances will exceed the significance threshold and, therefore, we do not consider the forbearances as loan modifications.
The limitations on granting of forbearances described above apply to hardship forbearances. We offer other administrative forbearances (e.g., death and disability, bankruptcy, military service, disaster forbearance, and in school assistance) that are either required by law (such as by the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) or are considered separate from our active loss mitigation programs and therefore are not considered to be loan modifications under ASU No. 2022-02. In addition, we may offer on a limited basis term extensions or rate reductions or a combination of both to borrowers to reduce consolidation activities. For purposes of this disclosure, we do not consider them modifications of loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty and they therefore are not included in the tables below.
The following table shows the amortized cost basis at the end of the reporting period of the loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty that were modified during the period from January 1, 2022 (the effective date of our adoption of ASU No. 2022-02) through the end of the reporting period, disaggregated by class of financing receivable and type of modification. When we approve a Private Education Loan at the beginning of an academic year, we do not always disburse the full amount of the loan at the time of approval, but instead have a commitment to fund a portion of the loan at a later date (usually at the start of the second semester or subsequent trimesters). We consider borrowers to be in financial difficulty after they have exited school and have difficulty making their scheduled principal and interest payments.
Loan Modifications Made to Borrowers Experiencing Financial Difficulty
At March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
Interest Rate ReductionCombination - Interest Rate Reduction and Term Extension
Loan Type:Amortized Cost Basis% of Total Class of Financing ReceivableAmortized Cost Basis% of Total Class of Financing Receivable
Private Education Loans$7,679 0.04 %$79,597 0.37 %
Total$7,679 0.04 %$79,597 0.37 %

    
The following table describes the financial effect of the modifications made to loans whose borrowers are experiencing financial difficulty:

Interest Rate ReductionCombination - Interest Rate
Reduction and Term Extension
Loan TypeFinancial EffectLoan TypeFinancial Effect
Private Education Loans
Reduced average contractual rate from 10.09% to 4.00%
Private Education Loans
Added a weighted average 10.51 years to the life of loans

Reduced average contractual rate from 9.43% to 4.00%


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4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)

When a Private Education Loan reaches 120 days delinquent, the loan is charged off. Therefore, the amortized cost basis of the loan is reduced by the uncollectible amount and the allowance for credit losses is adjusted by the same amount. See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies — Allowance for Credit Losses - 2021 and 2020 — Allowance for Private Education Loan Losses - 2021 and 2020, — Allowance for FFELP Loan Losses - 2021 and 2020, and — Allowance for Credit Card Loans - 2021 and 2020” in our 2021 Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion.
The following table provides the amount of financing receivables whose borrowers were experiencing financial difficulty and had a payment default and were modified during the period from January 1, 2022 (the effective date of our adoption of ASU No. 2022-02) through the end of the reporting period. We define payment default as 60 days past due for purposes of this disclosure.
At March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
Modified Loans(1)
Payment Default
Loan Type:
Private Education Loans$290 $287 
Total$290 $287 
(1) Represents amortized cost basis of loans that have been modified.

We closely monitor performance of the loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty that are modified to understand the effectiveness of the modification efforts. The following table depicts the performance of loans that have been modified during the period from January 1, 2022 (the effective date of our adoption of ASU No. 2022-02) through the end of the reporting period.
Payment Status (Amortized Cost Basis)
At March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
Deferment(1)
Current(2)(3)
30-59 Days
Past Due(2)(3)
60-89 Days
Past Due(2)(3)
90 Days or Greater
 Past Due(2)(3)
Loan Type:
Private Education Loans$649 $84,992 $1,295 $255 $85 
Total$649 $84,992 $1,295 $255 $85 
(1) Deferment includes customers who have returned to school or are engaged in other permitted educational activities and are not yet required to make full principal and interest payments on the loans (e.g., residency periods for medical students or a grace period for bar exam preparation).
(2) Loans in repayment include loans on which borrowers are making full principal and interest payments after any applicable grace period (but, for purposes of the table, do not include those loans while they are in forbearance).
(3) The period of delinquency is based on the number of days scheduled payments are contractually past due.


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4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)

Private Education Loans Held for Investment - Key Credit Quality Indicators
FFELP Loans are at least 97 percent guaranteed as to their principal and accrued interest in the event of default; therefore, there are no key credit quality indicators associated with FFELP Loans.
For Private Education Loans, the key credit quality indicators are FICO scores, the existence of a cosigner, the loan status, and loan seasoning. The FICO scores are assessed at original approval and periodically refreshed/updated through the loan’s term. The following tables highlight the gross principal balance of our Private Education Loan portfolio (held for investment), by year of origination, stratified by key credit quality indicators.

As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
Private Education Loans Held for Investment - Credit Quality Indicators
Year of Origination
2022(1)
2021(1)
2020(1)
2019(1)
2018(1)
2017 and Prior(1)
Total(1)
% of Balance
Cosigners:
With cosigner$664,611 $4,368,829 $3,450,387 $2,626,952 $1,898,677 $6,087,363 $19,096,819 88 %
Without cosigner117,001 671,963 533,219 411,385 275,611 629,371 2,638,550 12 
Total$781,612 $5,040,792 $3,983,606 $3,038,337 $2,174,288 $6,716,734 $21,735,369 100 %
FICO at Origination(2):
Less than 670$58,976 $333,682 $231,772 $241,643 $183,391 $561,766 $1,611,230 %
670-699111,251 669,450 543,884 468,705 343,601 1,141,747 3,278,638 15 
700-749251,606 1,591,862 1,290,542 999,922 723,591 2,257,304 7,114,827 33 
Greater than or equal to 750359,779 2,445,798 1,917,408 1,328,067 923,705 2,755,917 9,730,674 45 
Total$781,612 $5,040,792 $3,983,606 $3,038,337 $2,174,288 $6,716,734 $21,735,369 100 %
FICO Refreshed(2)(3):
Less than 670$72,244 $472,669 $310,819 $292,706 $245,690 $964,669 $2,358,797 11 %
670-699115,446 670,147 453,846 343,831 236,812 738,916 2,558,998 12 
700-749249,052 1,561,528 1,203,084 911,247 631,484 1,855,009 6,411,404 29 
Greater than or equal to 750344,870 2,336,448 2,015,857 1,490,553 1,060,302 3,158,140 10,406,170 48 
Total$781,612 $5,040,792 $3,983,606 $3,038,337 $2,174,288 $6,716,734 $21,735,369 100 %
Seasoning(4):
1-12 payments$417,858 $3,015,407 $597,296 $506,047 $384,057 $873,302 $5,793,967 27 %
13-24 payments— — 2,190,940 331,049 188,777 663,245 3,374,011 16 
25-36 payments— — 188 1,483,980 285,486 613,350 2,383,004 11 
37-48 payments— — — — 921,378 708,204 1,629,582 
More than 48 payments— — — — — 3,148,853 3,148,853 14 
Not yet in repayment363,754 2,025,385 1,195,182 717,261 394,590 709,780 5,405,952 25 
Total$781,612 $5,040,792 $3,983,606 $3,038,337 $2,174,288 $6,716,734 $21,735,369 100 %
2022 Current period(5) gross charge-offs
$— $(1,618)$(7,397)$(12,931)$(12,579)$(49,331)$(83,856)
2022 Current period(5) recoveries
— 107 507 989 1,030 5,400 8,033 
2022 Current period(5) net charge-offs
$— $(1,511)$(6,890)$(11,942)$(11,549)$(43,931)$(75,823)
Total accrued interest by origination vintage$9,778 $180,992 $269,425 $271,083 $190,288 $320,007 $1,241,573 
        
(1)Balance represents gross Private Education Loans held for investment.
(2)Represents the higher credit score of the cosigner or the borrower.
(3)Represents the FICO score updated as of the first-quarter 2022.
(4)Number of months in active repayment (whether interest only payment, fixed payment, or full principal and interest payment status) for which a scheduled payment was due.
(5)Current period refers to period from January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022.


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4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)
As of December 31, 2021
(dollars in thousands)
Private Education Loans Held for Investment - Credit Quality Indicators
Year of Origination
2021(1)
2020(1)
2019(1)
2018(1)
2017(1)
2016 and Prior(1)
Total(1)
% of Balance
Cosigners:
With cosigner$3,263,892 $3,604,553 $2,778,262 $2,025,463 $1,765,719 $4,753,775 $18,191,664 88 %
Without cosigner558,469 561,730 438,263 294,597 212,514 459,626 2,525,199 12 
Total$3,822,361 $4,166,283 $3,216,525 $2,320,060 $1,978,233 $5,213,401 $20,716,863 100 %
FICO at Origination(2):
Less than 670$248,368 $238,005 $251,157 $193,123 $166,048 $428,416 $1,525,117 %
670-699508,264 564,497 493,237 363,313 329,807 884,981 3,144,099 15 
700-7491,210,833 1,348,269 1,057,001 770,452 660,270 1,753,709 6,800,534 33 
Greater than or equal to 7501,854,896 2,015,512 1,415,130 993,172 822,108 2,146,295 9,247,113 45 
Total$3,822,361 $4,166,283 $3,216,525 $2,320,060 $1,978,233 $5,213,401 $20,716,863 100 %
FICO Refreshed(2)(3):
Less than 670$326,613 $279,578 $273,652 $235,684 $233,022 $739,268 $2,087,817 10 %
670-699506,021 475,674 365,133 256,400 209,536 570,605 2,383,369 12 
700-7491,209,493 1,285,015 978,763 682,024 568,766 1,448,692 6,172,753 30 
Greater than or equal to 7501,780,234 2,126,016 1,598,977 1,145,952 966,909 2,454,836 10,072,924 48 
Total$3,822,361 $4,166,283 $3,216,525 $2,320,060 $1,978,233 $5,213,401 $20,716,863 100 %
Seasoning(4):
1-12 payments$2,265,811 $594,850 $515,328 $385,246 $340,242 $501,269 $4,602,746 22 %
13-24 payments2,287,737362,674203,674211,064479,5403,544,68917 
25-36 payments1731,565,203312,049164,575482,3692,524,36912 
37-48 payments983,434295,206464,5631,743,203
More than 48 payments671,1382,726,3043,397,44216 
Not yet in repayment1,556,5501,283,523773,320435,657296,008559,3564,904,41425 
Total$3,822,361 $4,166,283 $3,216,525 $2,320,060 $1,978,233 $5,213,401 $20,716,863 100 %
2021 Current period(5) gross charge-offs
$(1,183)$(8,604)$(23,866)$(32,741)$(37,186)$(126,011)$(229,591)
2021 Current period(5) recoveries
35 540 2,092 3,693 4,450 18,684 29,494 
2021 Current period(5) net charge-offs
$(1,148)$(8,064)$(21,774)$(29,048)$(32,736)$(107,327)$(200,097)
Total accrued interest by origination vintage$109,233 $247,418 $270,242 $198,816 $131,685 $229,729 $1,187,123 
(1)Balance represents gross Private Education Loans held for investment.
(2)Represents the higher credit score of the cosigner or the borrower.
(3)Represents the FICO score updated as of the fourth-quarter 2021.
(4)Number of months in active repayment (whether interest only payment, fixed payment, or full principal and interest payment status) for which a scheduled payment was due.
(5)Current period refers to January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021.

24 SLM CORPORATION


4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)
Delinquencies - Private Education Loans Held for Investment

The following tables provide information regarding the loan status of our Private Education Loans held for investment, by year of origination. Loans in repayment include loans on which borrowers are making interest only or fixed payments, as well as loans that have entered full principal and interest repayment status after any applicable grace period (but, for purposes of the following tables, do not include those loans while they are in forbearance).

Private Education Loans Held for Investment - Delinquencies by Origination Vintage
As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
202220212020201920182017 and PriorTotal
Loans in-school/grace/deferment(1)
$363,754 $2,025,385 $1,195,182 $717,261 $394,590 $709,780 $5,405,952 
Loans in forbearance(2)
441 15,123 37,237 35,259 30,585 115,615 234,260 
Loans in repayment:
Loans current415,657 2,972,685 2,690,157 2,205,417 1,674,303 5,571,861 15,530,080 
Loans delinquent 30-59 days(3)
1,760 17,435 28,523 34,956 33,362 144,499 260,535 
Loans delinquent 60-89 days(3)
— 6,557 18,618 25,590 23,023 95,272 169,060 
Loans 90 days or greater past due(3)
— 3,607 13,889 19,854 18,425 79,707 135,482 
Total Private Education Loans in repayment417,417 3,000,284 2,751,187 2,285,817 1,749,113 5,891,339 16,095,157 
Total Private Education Loans, gross781,612 5,040,792 3,983,606 3,038,337 2,174,288 6,716,734 21,735,369 
Private Education Loans deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)9,615 20,732 14,883 8,753 5,380 12,544 71,907 
Total Private Education Loans791,227 5,061,524 3,998,489 3,047,090 2,179,668 6,729,278 21,807,276 
Private Education Loans allowance for losses(54,769)(308,664)(230,000)(187,181)(122,741)(317,698)(1,221,053)
Private Education Loans, net$736,458 $4,752,860 $3,768,489 $2,859,909 $2,056,927 $6,411,580 $20,586,223 
Percentage of Private Education Loans in repayment53.4 %59.5 %69.1 %75.2 %80.4 %87.7 %74.1 %
Delinquent Private Education Loans in repayment as a percentage of Private Education Loans in repayment0.4 %0.9 %2.2 %3.5 %4.3 %5.4 %3.5 %
Loans in forbearance as a percentage of loans in repayment and forbearance0.1 %0.5 %1.3 %1.5 %1.7 %1.9 %1.4 %
(1)Deferment includes customers who have returned to school or are engaged in other permitted educational activities and are not yet required to make payments on the loans (e.g., residency periods for medical students or a grace period for bar exam preparation).
(2)Loans for customers who have requested extension of grace period generally during employment transition or who have temporarily ceased making full payments due to hardship or other factors, consistent with established loan program servicing policies and procedures.
(3)The period of delinquency is based on the number of days scheduled payments are contractually past due.
SLM CORPORATION 25


4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)
Private Education Loans Held for Investment - Delinquencies by Origination Vintage
As of December 31, 2021
(dollars in thousands)
202120202019201820172016 and PriorTotal
Loans in-school/grace/deferment(1)
$1,556,550 $1,283,523 $773,320 $435,657 $296,008 $559,356 $4,904,414 
Loans in forbearance(2)
11,951 55,844 52,364 43,613 41,355 96,110 301,237 
Loans in repayment:
Loans current2,234,876 2,786,646 2,321,728 1,772,651 1,570,815 4,319,057 15,005,773 
Loans delinquent 30-59 days(3)
15,148 29,146 46,616 43,197 41,695 132,757 308,559 
Loans delinquent 60-89 days(3)
3,194 7,441 14,044 14,310 16,425 61,533 116,947 
Loans 90 days or greater past due(3)
642 3,683 8,453 10,632 11,935 44,588 79,933 
Total Private Education Loans in repayment2,253,860 2,826,916 2,390,841 1,840,790 1,640,870 4,557,935 15,511,212 
Total Private Education Loans, gross3,822,361 4,166,283 3,216,525 2,320,060 1,978,233 5,213,401 20,716,863 
Private Education Loans deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)22,169 16,067 9,575 5,918 4,588 9,171 67,488 
Total Private Education Loans3,844,530 4,182,350 3,226,100 2,325,978 1,982,821 5,222,572 20,784,351 
Private Education Loans allowance for losses(248,102)(239,507)(195,223)(129,678)(99,982)(246,485)(1,158,977)
Private Education Loans, net$3,596,428 $3,942,843 $3,030,877 $2,196,300 $1,882,839 $4,976,087 $19,625,374 
Percentage of Private Education Loans in repayment59.0 %67.9 %74.3 %79.3 %82.9 %87.4 %74.9 %
Delinquent Private Education Loans in repayment as a percentage of Private Education Loans in repayment0.8 %1.4 %2.9 %3.7 %4.3 %5.2 %3.3 %
Loans in forbearance as a percentage of loans in repayment and forbearance0.5 %1.9 %2.1 %2.3 %2.5 %2.1 %1.9 %

(1)Deferment includes customers who have returned to school or are engaged in other permitted educational activities and are not yet required to make payments on the loans (e.g., residency periods for medical students or a grace period for bar exam preparation).
(2)Loans for customers who have requested extension of grace period generally during employment transition or who have temporarily ceased making full payments due to hardship or other factors, consistent with established loan program servicing policies and procedures.
(3)The period of delinquency is based on the number of days scheduled payments are contractually past due.
26 SLM CORPORATION


4.Allowance for Credit Losses (Continued)


 Accrued Interest Receivable

The following table provides information regarding accrued interest receivable on our Private Education Loans. The table also discloses the amount of accrued interest on loans 90 days or greater past due as compared to our allowance for uncollectible interest on loans making full interest payments. The majority of the total accrued interest receivable represents accrued interest on deferred loans where no payments are due while the borrower is in school and fixed-pay loans where the borrower makes a $25 monthly payment that is smaller than the interest accruing on the loan in that month. The accrued interest on these loans will be capitalized to the balance of the loans when the borrower exits the grace period after separation from school. The allowance for this portion of interest is included in our loan loss reserve.

 Private Education Loans
Accrued Interest Receivable
(Dollars in thousands)Total Interest Receivable90 Days or Greater Past DueAllowance for Uncollectible Interest
March 31, 2022$1,241,574 $6,292 $5,505 
December 31, 2021$1,187,123 $3,635 $4,937 



SLM CORPORATION 27


5. Unfunded Loan Commitments
When we approve a Private Education Loan at the beginning of an academic year, that approval may cover the borrowing for the entire academic year. As such, we do not always disburse the full amount of the loan at the time of such approval, but instead have a commitment to fund a portion of the loan at a later date (usually at the start of the second semester or subsequent trimesters). We estimate expected credit losses over the contractual period in which we are exposed to credit risk via a contractual obligation to extend credit, unless that obligation is unconditionally cancellable by us. See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies - Allowance for Credit Losses - 2021 and 2020, — Off-Balance Sheet Exposure for Contractual Loan Commitments - 2021 and 2020” in our 2021 Form 10-K for additional information.
At March 31, 2022, we had $562 million of outstanding contractual loan commitments that we expect to fund during the remainder of the 2021/2022 academic year. The tables below summarize the activity in the allowance recorded to cover lifetime expected credit losses on the unfunded commitments, which is recorded in “Other Liabilities” on the consolidated balance sheets, as well as the activity in the unfunded commitments balance.
20222021
Three Months Ended March 31,
(dollars in thousands)
AllowanceUnfunded CommitmentsAllowanceUnfunded Commitments
Beginning Balance$72,713 $1,776,976 $110,044 $1,673,018 
Provision/New commitments - net(1)
47,454 968,830 40,197 843,161 
Other provision items7,226 — (3,994)— 
Transfer - funded loans(2)
(94,686)(2,184,058)(126,880)(2,058,726)
Ending Balance$32,707 $561,748 $19,367 $457,453 
(1)     Net of expirations of commitments unused.
(2)     When a loan commitment is funded, its related liability for credit losses (which originally was recorded as a provision for unfunded commitments) is transferred to the allowance for credit losses.
The unfunded commitments disclosed above represent the total amount of outstanding unfunded commitments at each period end. However, historically not all of these commitments are funded prior to the expiration of the commitments. We estimate the amount of commitments expected to be funded in calculating the reserve for unfunded commitments. The amount we expect to fund and use in our calculation of the reserve for unfunded commitments will change period to period based upon the loan characteristics of the underlying commitments.

28 SLM CORPORATION


6. Goodwill and Acquired Intangible Assets
Goodwill
We recorded as goodwill the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of identifiable assets and liabilities acquired as part of the Nitro acquisition in the first quarter of 2022. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested periodically for impairment. We plan to test goodwill for impairment annually in the fourth quarter of the year, or more frequently if we believe that indicators of impairment exist. At March 31, 2022 we had $51 million in total Goodwill. See Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies” for additional details on our acquisition of Nitro.
Acquired Intangible Assets
Our intangible assets include acquired tradename and trademarks, customer relationships, and developed technology. We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable.
Acquired intangible assets include the following:

March 31, 2022
(Dollars in thousands)
Useful Life
(in years)(1)
Cost BasisAccumulated AmortizationNet
Tradename and trademarks10$68,470 $(515)$67,955 
Customer relationships55,670 (186)5,484 
Developed technology31,260 (32)1,228 
Total acquired intangible assets$75,400 $(733)$74,667 
(1)     The weighted average useful life of acquired intangible assets related to the Nitro acquisition is 9.51 years.
We recorded amortization of acquired intangible assets totaling approximately $1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2022. There was no amortization of acquired intangible assets recorded in the three months ended March 31, 2021. We will continue to amortize our intangible assets with definite useful lives over their remaining estimated useful lives. We estimate amortization expense associated with these intangible assets will be approximately $8 million, $9 million, $8 million, $8 million and $7 million in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively.
SLM CORPORATION 29


7. Deposits

The following table summarizes total deposits at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

March 31,December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Deposits - interest bearing$21,192,004 $20,826,692 
Deposits - non-interest bearing2,022 1,432 
Total deposits$21,194,026 $20,828,124 

Our total deposits of $21.2 billion were comprised of $10.0 billion in brokered deposits and $11.2 billion in retail and other deposits at March 31, 2022, compared to total deposits of $20.8 billion, which were comprised of $10.1 billion in brokered deposits and $10.7 billion in retail and other deposits, at December 31, 2021.
Interest bearing deposits as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 consisted of retail and brokered non-maturity savings deposits, retail and brokered non-maturity money market deposits (“MMDAs”), and retail and brokered certificates of deposit (“CDs”). Interest bearing deposits include deposits from Educational 529 and Health Savings plans that diversify our funding sources and additional deposits we consider to be core. These and other large omnibus accounts, aggregating the deposits of many individual depositors, represented $7.8 billion and $7.3 billion of our deposit total as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
Some of our deposit products are serviced by third-party providers. Placement fees associated with the brokered CDs are amortized into interest expense using the effective interest rate method. We recognized placement fee expense of $3 million and $4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Fees paid to third-party brokers related to brokered CDs were $2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. There were no related fees paid in the three months ended March 31, 2021.

Interest bearing deposits at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are summarized as follows:
 
 March 31, 2022December 31, 2021
(Dollars in thousands)Amount
Qtr.-End Weighted Average Stated Rate(1)
Amount
Year-End Weighted Average Stated Rate(1)
Money market$10,984,116 0.79 %$10,473,569 0.69 %
Savings968,059 0.43 959,122 0.43 
Certificates of deposit9,239,829 1.37 9,394,001 1.20 
Deposits - interest bearing$21,192,004 $20,826,692 
    (1) Includes the effect of interest rate swaps in effective hedge relationships.


As of March 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, there were $532 million and $743 million, respectively, of deposits exceeding Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. Accrued interest on deposits was $42 million and $35 million at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

30 SLM CORPORATION


8. Borrowings

Outstanding borrowings consist of unsecured debt and secured borrowings issued through our term asset-backed securitization (“ABS”) program and our Private Education Loan multi-lender secured borrowing facility (the “Secured Borrowing Facility”). For additional information regarding our borrowings, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 11, “Borrowings” in our 2021 Form 10-K. The following table summarizes our borrowings at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

March 31, 2022December 31, 2021
(Dollars in thousands)Short-TermLong-TermTotalShort-TermLong-TermTotal
Unsecured borrowings:
Unsecured debt (fixed-rate)$— $986,591 $986,591 $— $986,138 $986,138 
Total unsecured borrowings— 986,591 986,591 — 986,138 986,138 
Secured borrowings:
Private Education Loan term securitizations:
Fixed-rate— 3,608,606 3,608,606 — 3,897,996 3,897,996 
Variable-rate— 957,300 957,300 — 1,046,856 1,046,856 
Total Private Education Loan term securitizations— 4,565,906 4,565,906 — 4,944,852 4,944,852 
Secured Borrowing Facility— — — — — — 
Total secured borrowings— 4,565,906 4,565,906 — 4,944,852 4,944,852 
Total$— $5,552,497 $5,552,497 $— $5,930,990 $5,930,990 

Long-term Borrowings
Secured Financings at Issuance
The following table summarizes our secured financings issued in 2021. There were no secured financings issued in the three months ended March 31, 2022.

IssueDate IssuedTotal Issued
Weighted Average Cost of Funds(1)
Weighted Average Life
 (in years)
(Dollars in thousands)
Private Education Loans:
2021-BMay 2021$531,000 
1-month LIBOR plus 0.77%
4.26
2021-DAugust 2021527,000 
1-month LIBOR plus 0.69%
4.22
2021-ENovember 2021534,000 
1-month LIBOR plus 0.69%
4.15
Total notes issued in 2021$1,592,000 
Total loan and accrued interest amount securitized at inception in 2021(2)
$1,656,263 

(1) Represents LIBOR equivalent cost of funds for floating and fixed-rate bonds, excluding issuance costs.
(2) At March 31, 2022, $1.46 billion of our Private Education Loans, including $1.37 billion of principal and $87 million in capitalized interest, were encumbered related to these transactions.

SLM CORPORATION 31



8.Borrowings (Continued)

Consolidated Funding Vehicles

We consolidate our financing entities that are VIEs as a result of our being the entities’ primary beneficiary. As a result, these financing VIEs are accounted for as secured borrowings.

As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
Debt OutstandingCarrying Amount of Assets Securing Debt Outstanding
Short-TermLong-TermTotalLoansRestricted Cash
Other Assets(1)
Total
Secured borrowings:
Private Education Loan term securitizations$— $4,565,906 $4,565,906 $5,650,067 $187,960 $333,325 $6,171,352 
Secured Borrowing Facility— — — — — 298 298 
Total$— $4,565,906 $4,565,906 $5,650,067 $187,960 $333,623 $6,171,650 

.
As of December 31, 2021
(dollars in thousands)
Debt OutstandingCarrying Amount of Assets Securing Debt Outstanding
Short-TermLong-TermTotalLoansRestricted Cash
Other
Assets(1)
Total
Secured borrowings:
Private Education Loan term securitizations$— $4,994,852 $4,994,852 $6,029,034 $210,741 $357,982 $6,597,757 
Secured Borrowing Facility— — — — — 867 867 
Total$— $4,994,852 $4,994,852 $6,029,034 $210,741 $358,849 $6,598,624 

(1) Other assets primarily represent accrued interest receivable.

Unconsolidated VIEs
Private Education Loan Securitizations
Unconsolidated VIEs include variable interests that we hold in certain securitization trusts created by the sale of our Private Education Loans to unaffiliated third parties. We remained the servicer of these loans pursuant to applicable servicing agreements executed in connection with the sales, and we are also the administrator of these trusts. Additionally, we own five percent of the securities issued by the trusts to meet risk retention requirements. We were not required to consolidate these entities because while as servicer we may have a significant impact on economic performance, the risk of absorbing losses that could be significant is low.
2022-A Transaction
On March 16, 2022, we closed an SMB Private Education Loan Trust 2022-A term ABS transaction (the “2022-A Transaction”), in which an unaffiliated third-party sold to the trust approximately $973 million of Private Education Loans that the third-party seller previously purchased from us on November 17, 2021. In the 2022-A Transaction, we were the sponsor, servicer and administrator, and the seller of an additional $95 million of Private Education Loans into the trust. The sale of such additional loans qualified for sale treatment and removed these loans from our balance sheet on the settlement date of the 2022-A Transaction and we recorded a $10 million gain on sale associated with this transaction. In connection with the 2022-A Transaction settlement, we retained a five percent vertical risk retention interest (i.e., five percent of each class issued in the securitization). We classified those vertical risk retention interests related to the 2022-A Transaction as available-for-sale investments, except for the interest in the residual class, which we classified as a trading investment recorded at fair value with changes recorded through earnings.




32 SLM CORPORATION



8.Borrowings (Continued)

The table below provides a summary of our exposure related to our unconsolidated VIEs.

March 31, 2022
December 31, 2021
(Dollars in thousands)
Debt Interests(1)
Equity Interests(2)
Total Exposure
Debt Interests(1)
Equity Interests(2)
Total Exposure
Private Education Loan term securitizations$230,372 $38,820 $269,192 $192,245 $37,465 $229,710 

(1) Vertical risk retention interest classified as available-for-sale investment.
(2) Vertical risk retention interest classified as trading investment.


Other Borrowing Sources
We maintain discretionary uncommitted Federal Funds lines of credit with various correspondent banks, which totaled $125 million at March 31, 2022. The interest rate we are charged on these lines of credit is priced at Fed Funds plus a spread at the time of borrowing and is payable daily. We did not utilize these lines of credit in the three months ended March 31, 2022 or in the year ended December 31, 2021.
We established an account at the FRB to meet eligibility requirements for access to the Primary Credit borrowing facility at the FRB’s Discount Window (the “Window”). The Primary Credit borrowing facility is a lending program available to depository institutions that are in generally sound financial condition. All borrowings at the Window must be fully collateralized. We can pledge asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, as well as FFELP Loans and Private Education Loans, to the FRB as collateral for borrowings at the Window. Generally, collateral value is assigned based on the estimated fair value of the pledged assets. At March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the value of our pledged collateral at the FRB totaled $2.9 billion and $3.3 billion, respectively. The interest rate charged to us is the discount rate set by the FRB. We did not utilize this facility in the three months ended March 31, 2022 or in the year ended December 31, 2021.


SLM CORPORATION 33



9. Derivative Financial Instruments
Risk Management Strategy
We maintain an overall interest rate risk management strategy that incorporates the use of derivative instruments to reduce the economic effect of interest rate changes. Our goal is to manage interest rate sensitivity by modifying the repricing frequency and underlying index characteristics of certain balance sheet assets or liabilities so any adverse impacts related to movements in interest rates are managed within low to moderate limits. As a result of interest rate fluctuations, hedged balance sheet positions will appreciate or depreciate in market value or create variability in cash flows. Income or loss on the derivative instruments linked to the hedged item will generally offset the effect of this unrealized appreciation or depreciation or volatility in cash flows for the period the item is being hedged. We view this strategy as a prudent management of interest rate risk. Please refer to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 12, “Derivative Financial Instruments” in our 2021 Form 10-K for a full discussion of our risk management strategy.
Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) requires all standardized derivatives, including most interest rate swaps, to be submitted for clearing to central counterparties to reduce counterparty risk. Two of the central counterparties we use are the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (“CME”) and the London Clearing House (“LCH”). All variation margin payments on derivatives cleared through the CME and LCH are accounted for as legal settlement. As of March 31, 2022, $4.8 billion notional of our derivative contracts were cleared on the CME and $0.3 billion were cleared on the LCH. The derivative contracts cleared through the CME and LCH represent 94.3 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively, of our total notional derivative contracts of $5.1 billion at March 31, 2022.
For derivatives cleared through the CME and LCH, the net gain (loss) position includes the variation margin amounts as settlement of the derivative and not collateral against the fair value of the derivative. The amount of variation margin included as settlement as of March 31, 2022 was $(64) million and $(0.4) million for the CME and LCH, respectively. Changes in fair value for derivatives not designated as hedging instruments are presented as realized gains (losses).
Our exposure to the counterparty is limited to the value of the derivative contracts in a gain position less any collateral held and plus any collateral posted. When there is a net negative exposure, we consider our exposure to the counterparty to be zero. At March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had a net positive exposure (derivative gain positions to us, less collateral held by us and plus collateral posted with counterparties) related to derivatives of $9 million and $9 million, respectively.

Summary of Derivative Financial Statement Impact
The following tables summarize the fair values and notional amounts of all derivative instruments at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, and their impact on earnings and other comprehensive income for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2021. Please refer to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 12, “Derivative Financial Instruments” in our 2021 Form 10-K for a full discussion of cash flow hedges, fair value hedges, and trading activities.
34 SLM CORPORATION


9.Derivative Financial Instruments (Continued)
Impact of Derivatives on the Consolidated Balance Sheets
Cash Flow HedgesFair Value HedgesTradingTotal
March 31,December 31,March 31,December 31,March 31,December 31,March 31,December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021202220212022202120222021
Fair Values(1)
Hedged Risk Exposure
Derivative Assets:(2)
Interest rate swapsInterest rate$169 $— $— $— $— $$169 $
OtherOther— — — — — 1,317 — 1,317 
Derivative Liabilities:(2)
Interest rate swaps Interest rate(43)(231)(220)(21)— — (263)(252)
Total net derivatives$126 $(231)$(220)$(21)$— $1,322 $(94)$1,070 
 
(1)    Fair values reported include variation margin as legal settlement of the derivative contract. Assets and liabilities are presented without consideration of master netting agreements. Derivatives are carried on the balance sheet based on net position by counterparty under master netting agreements and classified in other assets or other liabilities depending on whether in a net positive or negative position.
(2)    The following table reconciles gross positions with the impact of master netting agreements to the balance sheet classification:
    
Other AssetsOther Liabilities
March 31,December 31,March 31,December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)2022202120222021
Gross position(1)
$169 $1,322 $(263)$(252)
Impact of master netting agreement(169)(5)169 
Derivative values with impact of master netting agreements (as carried on balance sheet)— 1,317 (94)(247)
Cash collateral pledged(2)
9,327 9,655 — — 
Net position$9,327 $10,972 $(94)$(247)

(1)Gross position amounts include accrued interest and variation margin as legal settlement of the derivative contract.
(2)Cash collateral pledged excludes amounts that represent legal settlement of the derivative contracts.


Notional Values
Cash FlowFair ValueTradingTotal
(Dollars in thousands)March 31,December 31,March 31,December 31,March 31,December 31,March 31,December 31,
20222021202220212022202120222021
Interest rate swaps$1,407,412 $1,438,144 $3,678,960 $3,915,999 $— $181,953 $5,086,372 $5,536,096 
Other— — — — — 1,053,760 — 1,053,760 
Net total notional$1,407,412 $1,438,144 $3,678,960 $3,915,999 $— $1,235,713 $5,086,372 $6,589,856 


SLM CORPORATION 35


9.Derivative Financial Instruments (Continued)
As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the following amounts were recorded on the consolidated balance sheet related to cumulative basis adjustments for fair value hedges:
(Dollars in thousands)Carrying Amount of the Hedged Assets/(Liabilities)Cumulative Amount of Fair Value Hedging Adjustment Included in the Carrying Amount of the Hedged Assets/(Liabilities)
Line Item in the Balance Sheet in Which the Hedged Item is Included:March 31,December 31,March 31,December 31,
2022202120222021
Deposits$(3,675,421)$(3,963,268)$484 $(50,784)


Impact of Derivatives on the Consolidated Statements of Income
Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Fair Value Hedges
Interest rate swaps:
Interest recognized on derivatives$17,287 $22,610 
Hedged items recorded in interest expense51,268 31,275 
Derivatives recorded in interest expense(51,319)(31,251)
Total $17,236 $22,634 
Cash Flow Hedges
Interest rate swaps:
Amount of gain (loss) reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income into interest expense$(4,541)$(5,269)
Total $(4,541)$(5,269)
Trading
Interest rate swaps:
Change in fair value of future interest payments recorded in earnings$(248)$(10,864)
Total(248)(10,864)
Total$12,447 $6,501 

    
36 SLM CORPORATION


9.Derivative Financial Instruments (Continued)


Impact of Derivatives on the Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity
Three Months Ended
March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Amount of gain (loss) recognized in other comprehensive income (loss)$47,989 $18,154 
Less: amount of gain (loss) reclassified in interest expense(4,541)(5,269)
Total change in other comprehensive income (loss) for unrealized gains (losses) on derivatives, before income tax (expense) benefit$52,530 $23,423 
    
Amounts reported in accumulated other comprehensive income related to derivatives will be reclassified to interest expense as interest payments are made on our variable-rate deposits. During the next 12 months, we estimate that $5 million will be reclassified as a decrease to interest expense.
Cash Collateral
As of March 31, 2022, cash collateral held and pledged excludes amounts that represent legal settlement of the derivative contracts held with the CME and LCH. There was no cash collateral held related to derivative exposure between us and our derivatives counterparties at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Cash collateral pledged related to derivative exposure between us and our derivatives counterparties was $9 million and $10 million at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Collateral pledged is recorded in “Other interest-earning assets” on the consolidated balance sheets.

SLM CORPORATION 37




10. Stockholders’ Equity

The following table summarizes our common share repurchases and issuances.

 
Three Months Ended
March 31,

(Shares and per share amounts in actuals)
20222021
Common stock repurchased under repurchase programs(1)(2)(3)
9,533,392 48,702,830 
Average purchase price per share(4)
$18.46 $15.75 
Shares repurchased related to employee stock-based compensation plans(5)
934,602 1,059,980 
Average purchase price per share$18.55 $13.50 
Common shares issued(6)
2,594,817 2,826,387 
 
(1) Common shares purchased under our share repurchase programs. We have utilized all capacity under our 2021 Share Repurchase Program. There was $1.1 billion of capacity remaining under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program at March 31, 2022.
(2) For the three months ended March 31, 2021, the amount includes 13 million shares related to the completion of the accelerated share repurchase agreement in the first quarter of 2021. See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 13, “Stockholders’ Equity” in our 2021 Form 10-K for additional information.
(3) For the three months ended March 31, 2021, the amount includes 28.5 million shares related to the settlement of our common stock tender offer in the first quarter of 2021. See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 13, “Stockholders’ Equity” in our 2021 Form 10-K for additional information.
(4) Average purchase price per share includes purchase commission costs.
(5) Comprised of shares withheld from stock option exercises and vesting of restricted stock for employees’ tax withholding obligations and shares tendered by employees to satisfy option exercise costs.
(6)  Common shares issued under our various compensation and benefit plans.
 

The closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on March 31, 2022 was $18.36.

Common Stock Dividends

In March 2022, we paid a common stock dividend of $0.11 per common share. In March 2021, we paid a common stock dividend of $0.03 per common share.

Share Repurchases
On January 27, 2021, we announced a share repurchase program (the “2021 Share Repurchase Program”), which was effective upon announcement and expires on January 26, 2023, and originally permitted us to repurchase shares of our common stock from time to time up to an aggregate repurchase price not to exceed $1.25 billion. Under the 2021 Share Repurchase Program, we repurchased 31 million shares of common stock for $517 million in the three months ended March 31, 2021. (Those amounts include the shares repurchased under the common stock tender offer that settled in the first quarter of 2021.)
In October 2021, our Board of Directors approved a $250 million increase in the amount of common stock that may be repurchased under our 2021 Share Repurchase Program. This is in addition to the original $1.25 billion of authorization announced on January 27, 2021, for a total 2021 Share Repurchase Program authorization of $1.5 billion. Under the 2021 Share Repurchase Program, we repurchased 2.0 million shares of common stock for $38 million in the three months ended March 31, 2022. We have now utilized all capacity under the 2021 Share Repurchase Program.
On January 26, 2022, we announced a new share repurchase program (the “2022 Share Repurchase Program”), which was effective upon announcement and expires on January 25, 2024, and permits us to repurchase shares of our common stock from time to time up to an aggregate repurchase price not to exceed $1.25 billion. Under the 2022 Share
38 SLM CORPORATION


10.Stockholders’ Equity (Continued)
Repurchase Program, we repurchased 7.5 million shares of common stock for $138 million in the three months ended March 31, 2022. We had $1.1 billion of capacity remaining under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program at March 31, 2022.
So long as there is unexpired capacity under a given repurchase program, repurchases under the programs may occur from time to time and through a variety of methods, including tender offers, open market repurchases, repurchases effected through Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, negotiated block purchases, accelerated share repurchase programs, or other similar transactions. The timing and volume of any repurchases under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program will be subject to market conditions, and there can be no guarantee that the Company will repurchase up to the limit of the program or at all.
Share Repurchases under Rule 10b5-1 trading plans
During the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, we repurchased 9.5 million shares and 6.8 million shares, respectively, of our common stock at a total cost of $176 million and $121 million, respectively, under Rule 10b5-1 trading plans authorized under our share repurchase programs.

SLM CORPORATION 39



11. Earnings per Common Share

Basic earnings per common share (“EPS”) are calculated using the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each period. A reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted EPS calculations follows.

Three Months Ended
March 31,

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
20222021
Numerator:
Net income$128,812 $641,207 
Preferred stock dividends1,275 1,201 
Net income attributable to SLM Corporation common stock$127,537 $640,006 
Denominator:
Weighted average shares used to compute basic EPS276,977 361,042 
Effect of dilutive securities:
Dilutive effect of stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance stock units, and Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) (1)(2)
3,677 5,198 
Weighted average shares used to compute diluted EPS280,654 366,240 
Basic earnings per common share $0.46 $1.77 
Diluted earnings per common share$0.45 $1.75 


            
(1)     Includes the potential dilutive effect of additional common shares that are issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance stock units, and the outstanding commitment to issue shares under the ESPP, determined by the treasury stock method.
(2)      For the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, securities covering approximately 3 million shares and 1 million shares, respectively, were outstanding but not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because they were anti-dilutive.
 

40 SLM CORPORATION





12. Fair Value Measurements

We use estimates of fair value in applying various accounting standards for our consolidated financial statements.

We categorize our fair value estimates based on a hierarchical framework associated with three levels of price transparency utilized in measuring financial instruments at fair value. For additional information regarding our policies for determining fair value and the hierarchical framework, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies - Fair Value Measurement” in our 2021 Form 10-K.

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, there were no significant transfers of financial instruments between levels or changes in our methodology or assumptions used to value our financial instruments.

The following table summarizes the valuation of our financial instruments that are marked to fair value on a recurring basis.
 Fair Value Measurements on a Recurring Basis
 March 31, 2022December 31, 2021
(Dollars in thousands)Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total 
Assets:
Trading investments$— $— $38,820 $38,820 $— $— $37,465 $37,465 
Available-for-sale investments— 2,341,551 — 2,341,551 — 2,517,956 — 2,517,956 
Derivative instruments— 169 — 169 — 1,322 — 1,322 
Total$— $2,341,720 $38,820 $2,380,540 $— $2,519,278 $37,465 $2,556,743 
Liabilities:
Derivative instruments$— $(263)$— $(263)$— $(252)$— $(252)
Total$— $(263)$— $(263)$— $(252)$— $(252)




 
SLM CORPORATION 41


12.Fair Value Measurements (Continued)

The following table summarizes the fair values of our financial assets and liabilities, including derivative financial instruments.
 March 31, 2022December 31, 2021
(Dollars in thousands)Fair
Value
Carrying
Value
DifferenceFair
Value
Carrying
Value
Difference
Earning assets:
Loans held for investment, net:
Private Education Loans$24,125,657 $20,586,223 $3,539,434 $22,919,836 $19,625,374 $3,294,462 
FFELP Loans692,507 680,044 12,463 705,644 692,954 12,690 
Credit Cards27,581 25,408 2,173 25,037 22,955 2,082 
Cash and cash equivalents3,262,595 3,262,595 — 4,334,603 4,334,603 — 
Trading investments38,820 38,820 — 37,465 37,465 — 
Available-for-sale investments2,341,551 2,341,551 — 2,517,956 2,517,956 — 
Accrued interest receivable1,368,425 1,259,145 109,280 1,306,410 1,205,667 100,743 
Tax indemnification receivable8,155 8,155 — 8,047 8,047 — 
Derivative instruments169 169 — 1,322 1,322 — 
Total earning assets$31,865,460 $28,202,110 $3,663,350 $31,856,320 $28,446,343 $3,409,977 
Interest-bearing liabilities:
Money-market and savings accounts$11,915,011 $11,952,175 $37,164 $11,457,490 $11,432,691 $(24,799)
Certificates of deposit9,171,506 9,239,829 68,323 9,451,528 9,394,001 (57,527)
Long-term borrowings5,483,809 5,552,497 68,688 6,000,174 5,930,990 (69,184)
Accrued interest payable61,379 61,379 — 46,600 46,600 — 
Derivative instruments263 263 — 252 252 — 
Total interest-bearing liabilities$26,631,968 $26,806,143 $174,175 $26,956,044 $26,804,534 $(151,510)
Excess of net asset fair value over carrying value$3,837,525 $3,258,467 

Please refer to Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 16, “Fair Value Measurements” in our 2021 Form 10-K for a full discussion of the methods and assumptions used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments.

42 SLM CORPORATION



13. Regulatory Capital
    
Sallie Mae Bank (the “Bank”) is subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the FDIC and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and possibly additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial position. Under the FDIC’s regulations implementing the Basel III capital framework (“U.S. Basel III”) and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Bank must meet specific capital standards that involve quantitative measures of its assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The Bank’s capital amounts and its classification under the prompt corrective action framework are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components of capital, risk weightings, and other factors.
The Bank is subject to the following minimum capital ratios under U.S. Basel III: a Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 4.5 percent, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.0 percent, a Total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0 percent, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4.0 percent. In addition, the Bank is subject to a Common Equity Tier 1 capital conservation buffer of greater than 2.5 percent. Failure to maintain the buffer will result in restrictions on the Bank’s ability to make capital distributions, including the payment of dividends, and to pay discretionary bonuses to executive officers. Including the buffer, the Bank is required to maintain the following capital ratios under U.S. Basel III in order to avoid such restrictions: a Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of greater than 7.0 percent, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of greater than 8.5 percent, and a Total risk-based capital ratio of greater than 10.5 percent.
To qualify as “well capitalized” under the prompt corrective action framework for insured depository institutions, the Bank must maintain a Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 6.5 percent, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 8.0 percent, a Total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10.0 percent, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 5.0 percent.
Under regulations issued by the FDIC and other federal banking agencies, banking organizations that adopt CECL during the 2020 calendar year, including the Bank, may elect to delay for two years, and then phase in over the following three years, the effects on regulatory capital of CECL relative to the incurred loss methodology. The Bank has elected to use this option. Therefore, the regulatory capital impact of the Bank’s transition adjustments recorded on January 1, 2020 from the adoption of CECL, and 25 percent of the ongoing impact of CECL on the Bank’s allowance for credit losses, retained earnings, and average total consolidated assets, each as reported for regulatory capital purposes (collectively, the “adjusted transition amounts”), were deferred for the two-year period ending January 1, 2022. From January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2025, the adjusted transition amounts will be phased in for regulatory capital purposes at a rate of 25 percent per year, with the phased-in amounts included in regulatory capital at the beginning of each year. The Bank’s January 1, 2020 CECL transition amounts increased our allowance for credit losses by $1.1 billion, increased the liability representing our off-balance sheet exposure for unfunded commitments by $116 million, and increased our deferred tax asset by $306 million, resulting in a cumulative effect adjustment that reduced retained earnings by $953 million. This transition adjustment was inclusive of qualitative adjustments incorporated into our CECL allowance as necessary, to address any limitations in the models used.
At March 31, 2022, the adjusted transition amounts, reflecting changes over the phase-in period, that will be deferred for regulatory capital purposes are as follows:
Transition AmountsAdjustments for the Year EndedAdjustments for the Year EndedAdjustments
 for the
Three Months Ended
Adjusted Transition Amounts
(Dollars in thousands)January 1, 2020December 31, 2020December 31, 2021March 31, 2022March 31, 2022
Retained earnings$952,639 $(57,859)$(58,429)$(209,088)$627,263 
Allowance for credit losses1,143,053 (55,811)(49,097)(259,536)778,609 
Liability for unfunded commitments115,758 (2,048)(9,333)(26,094)78,283 
Deferred tax asset306,171 — — (76,542)229,629 


SLM CORPORATION 43


13.Regulatory Capital (Continued)

The following capital amounts and ratios are based upon the Bank’s average assets and risk-weighted assets, as indicated.

(Dollars in thousands)Actual
U.S. Basel III Minimum
Requirements Plus Buffer(1)(2)
AmountRatioAmountRatio
As of March 31, 2022(3):
Common Equity Tier 1 Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,155,469 12.9 %$1,710,526 >7.0 %
Tier 1 Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,155,469 12.9 %$2,077,067 >8.5 %
Total Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,462,126 14.2 %$2,565,789 >10.5 %
Tier 1 Capital (to Average Assets)$3,155,469 10.5 %

$1,199,485 >4.0 %
As of December 31, 2021:
Common Equity Tier 1 Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,314,657 14.1 %$1,643,132 >7.0 %
Tier 1 Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,314,657 14.1 %$1,995,232 >8.5 %
Total Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,410,183 14.5 %$2,464,699 >10.5 %
Tier 1 Capital (to Average Assets)$3,314,657 11.1 %$1,198,808 >4.0 %

             
(1)     Reflects the U.S. Basel III minimum required ratio plus the applicable capital conservation buffer.
(2)    The Bank’s regulatory capital ratios also exceeded all applicable standards for the Bank to qualify as “well capitalized” under the prompt corrective action framework.
(3)    For March 31, 2022, the actual amounts and the actual ratios include the adjusted transition amounts discussed above.

Bank Dividends

The Bank is chartered under the laws of the State of Utah and its deposits are insured by the FDIC. The Bank’s ability to pay dividends is subject to the laws of Utah and the regulations of the FDIC. Generally, under Utah’s industrial bank laws and regulations as well as FDIC regulations, the Bank may pay dividends from its net profits without regulatory approval if, following the payment of the dividend, the Bank’s capital and surplus would not be impaired. The Bank declared $108 million in dividends to the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2022, and $1.0 billion in dividends to the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2021, with the proceeds primarily used to fund the 2022, 2021, and 2020 Share Repurchase Programs and stock dividends. In the future, we expect that the Bank will pay dividends to the Company as may be necessary to enable the Company to pay any declared dividends on its Series B Preferred Stock and common stock and to consummate any common share repurchases by the Company under its share repurchase programs.
44 SLM CORPORATION





14. Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees
Commitments
When we approve a Private Education Loan at the beginning of an academic year, that approval may cover the borrowing for the entire academic year. As such, we do not always disburse the full amount of the loan at the time of such approval, but instead have a commitment to fund a portion of the loan at a later date (usually at the start of the second semester or subsequent trimesters). We estimate expected credit losses over the contractual period that we are exposed to credit risk via a contractual obligation to extend credit, unless that obligation is unconditionally cancellable by us. At March 31, 2022, we had $562 million of outstanding contractual loan commitments which we expect to fund during the remainder of the 2021/2022 academic year. At March 31, 2022, we had a $33 million reserve recorded in “Other Liabilities” to cover lifetime expected credit losses on these unfunded commitments. See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies - Allowance for Credit Losses - 2021 and 2020 — Off-Balance Sheet Exposure for Contractual Loan Commitments - 2021 and 2020” in our 2021 Form 10-K and Note 5, “Unfunded Loan Commitments” in this Form 10-Q for additional information.
Regulatory Matters
For additional information regarding our regulatory matters, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 20, “Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees” in our 2021 Form 10-K.
Contingencies
In the ordinary course of business, we and our subsidiaries are routinely defendants in or parties to pending and threatened legal actions and proceedings, including actions brought on behalf of various classes of claimants. These actions and proceedings may be based on alleged violations of consumer protection, securities, employment, and other laws. In certain of these actions and proceedings, claims for substantial monetary damage may be asserted against us and our subsidiaries.
It is common for the Company, our subsidiaries, and affiliates to receive information and document requests and investigative demands from state attorneys general, legislative committees, and administrative agencies. These requests may be for informational or regulatory purposes and may relate to our business practices, the industries in which we operate, or other companies with whom we conduct business. Our practice has been and continues to be to cooperate with these bodies and be responsive to any such requests.
We are required to establish reserves for litigation and regulatory matters where those matters present loss contingencies that are both probable and estimable. When loss contingencies are not both probable and estimable, we do not establish reserves.
Based on current knowledge, management does not believe there are loss contingencies, if any, arising from pending investigations, litigation, or regulatory matters for which reserves should be established.

SLM CORPORATION 45


15. Subsequent Event

2022 Loan Sales
On April 27, 2022, we sold approximately $2.0 billion of our Private Education Loans, including approximately $1.9 billion in principal and approximately $130 million in capitalized interest to an unaffiliated third party. The gain on sale of loans sold expressed as a percentage was in the low double-digits and will be recognized in the second-quarter 2022 consolidated statements of income. The transaction qualified for sale treatment and removed the balance of the loans from our balance sheet on the settlement date. We will continue to service these loans pursuant to the terms of the applicable transaction documents.
46 SLM CORPORATION


Item 2.     Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following information should be read in connection with SLM Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 24, 2022) (the “2021 Form 10-K”), and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. Definitions for capitalized terms used in this report not defined herein can be found in the 2021 Form 10-K.

References in this Form 10-Q to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Sallie Mae,” “SLM,” and the “Company” refer to SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, except as otherwise indicated or unless the context otherwise requires.
    
This report contains “forward-looking” statements and information based on management’s current expectations as of the date of this report. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs, opinions, or expectations and statements that assume or are dependent upon future events, are forward-looking statements. This includes, but is not limited to: statements regarding future developments surrounding COVID-19 or any other pandemic, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential impact of COVID-19 or any other pandemic on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition, and/or cash flows; our expectation and ability to pay a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock in the future, subject to the determination by our Board of Directors, and based on an evaluation of our earnings, financial condition and requirements, business conditions, capital allocation determinations, and other factors, risks, and uncertainties; the Company’s 2022 guidance; the Company’s three-year horizon outlook; the Company’s expectation and ability to execute loan sales and share repurchases; the Company’s projections regarding originations, net charge-offs, non-interest expenses, earnings, balance sheet position, and other metrics; any estimates related to accounting standard changes; and any estimates related to the impact of credit administration practices changes, including the results of simulations or other behavioral observations. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those reflected in such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the risks and uncertainties set forth in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our 2021 Form 10-K and subsequent filings with the SEC; the societal, business, and legislative/regulatory impact of pandemics and other public heath crises; increases in financing costs; limits on liquidity; increases in costs associated with compliance with laws and regulations; failure to comply with consumer protection, banking, and other laws; changes in accounting standards and the impact of related changes in significant accounting estimates, including any regarding the measurement of our allowance for credit losses and the related provision expense; any adverse outcomes in any significant litigation to which we are a party; credit risk associated with our exposure to third-parties, including counterparties to our derivative transactions; and changes in the terms of education loans and the educational credit marketplace (including changes resulting from new laws and the implementation of existing laws). We could also be affected by, among other things: changes in our funding costs and availability; reductions to our credit ratings; cybersecurity incidents, cyberattacks, and other failures or breaches of our operating systems or infrastructure, including those of third-party vendors; damage to our reputation; risks associated with restructuring initiatives, including failures to successfully implement cost-cutting programs and the adverse effects of such initiatives on our business; changes in the demand for educational financing or in financing preferences of lenders, educational institutions, students, and their families; changes in law and regulations with respect to the student lending business and financial institutions generally; changes in banking rules and regulations, including increased capital requirements; increased competition from banks and other consumer lenders; the creditworthiness of our customers; changes in the general interest rate environment, including the rate relationships among relevant money-market instruments and those of our earning assets versus our funding arrangements; rates of prepayment on the loans that we own; changes in general economic conditions and our ability to successfully effectuate any acquisitions; and other strategic initiatives. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements also requires us to make certain estimates and assumptions, including estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates or assumptions may prove to be incorrect. All forward-looking statements contained in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q are qualified by these cautionary statements and are made only as of the date of this report. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements to conform such statements to actual results or changes in our expectations.    

We report financial results on a GAAP basis and also provide certain non-GAAP core earnings performance measures. The difference between our non-GAAP “Core Earnings” and GAAP results for the periods presented were the unrealized, mark-to-fair value gains/losses on derivative contracts (excluding current period accruals on the derivative instruments), net of tax. These are recognized in GAAP, but not in non-GAAP “Core Earnings” results. We provide non-GAAP “Core Earnings” measures because this is one of several measures management uses when making management decisions regarding our performance and the allocation of corporate resources. Our non-GAAP “Core Earnings” are not defined terms within GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. For additional information, see “—Key Financial Measures” and “—‘Non-GAAP Core Earnings’ ” in this Form 10-Q for the
SLM CORPORATION 47


quarter ended March 31, 2022 for a further discussion and a complete reconciliation between GAAP net income and non-GAAP “Core Earnings.”
Through this discussion and analysis, we intend to provide the reader with some narrative context for how our management views our consolidated financial statements, additional context within which to assess our operating results, and information on the quality and variability of our earnings, liquidity, and cash flows.
Impact of COVID-19 on Sallie Mae
In April 2022, we returned to our offices, with most employees working under a hybrid model of some days in the office and other days working from home.
For further discussion of the impact of the coronavirus 2019 or COVID-19 (“COVID-19”) pandemic on the Company, see Part II. Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Impact of COVID-19 on Sallie Mae” in the 2021 Form 10-K.
The COVID-19 crisis is unprecedented and has had a significant impact on the economic environment globally and in the U.S. There is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the length and breadth of the impact to the U.S. economy and, consequently, on us. Economists expect the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy to continue to be significant into 2022 and beyond. See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors — Pandemic Risk” in the 2021 Form 10-K for additional discussion regarding the risks associated with COVID-19.
Selected Financial Information and Ratios
 
(In thousands,
except per share data and percentages) 
Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
20222021
Net income attributable to SLM Corporation common stock$127,537 $640,006 
Diluted earnings per common share$0.45 $1.75 
Weighted average shares used to compute diluted earnings per common share280,654 366,240 
Return on assets(1)
1.8 %8.3 %
Other Operating Statistics (Held for Investment)
Ending Private Education Loans, net$20,586,223 $19,632,933 
Ending FFELP Loans, net680,044 725,300 
Ending total education loans, net$21,266,267 $20,358,233 
Ending Credit Cards, net$25,408 $10,054 
Average education loans$22,548,810 $21,718,780 
Average Credit Cards$26,622 $11,841 
(1) We calculate and report our Return on Assets as the ratio of (a) GAAP net income numerator (annualized) to (b) the GAAP total average assets denominator.
 

Overview
The following discussion and analysis presents a review of our business and operations as of and for the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Key Financial Measures
Our operating results are primarily driven by net interest income from our Private Education Loan portfolio, gains and losses on loan sales, provision expense for credit losses, and operating expenses. The growth of our business and the strength of our financial condition are primarily driven by our ability to achieve our annual Private Education Loan origination goals while sustaining credit quality and maintaining cost-efficient funding sources to support our originations. A
48 SLM CORPORATION


brief summary of our key financial measures (net interest income; loan sales and secured financings; allowance for credit losses; charge-offs and delinquencies; operating expenses; non-GAAP “Core Earnings;” Private Education Loan originations; and funding sources) can be found in Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our 2021 Form 10-K.
Non-GAAP “Core Earnings”
We prepare financial statements in accordance with GAAP. However, we also produce and report our after-tax earnings on a separate basis that we refer to as “Core Earnings.” The difference between our non-GAAP “Core Earnings” and GAAP results for periods presented generally is driven by the unrealized, mark-to-fair value gains (losses) on derivative contracts recognized in GAAP, but not in non-GAAP “Core Earnings.”
Non-GAAP “Core Earnings” recognizes the difference in accounting treatment based upon whether a derivative qualifies for hedge accounting treatment. We enter into derivative instruments to economically hedge interest rate and cash flow risk associated with our portfolio. We believe that our derivatives are effective economic hedges and, as such, are a critical element of our interest rate risk management strategy. Those derivative instruments that qualify for hedge accounting treatment have their related cash flows recorded in interest income or interest expense along with the hedged item. Some of our derivatives do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment and the stand-alone derivative must be marked-to-fair value in the income statement with no consideration for the corresponding change in fair value of the hedged item. These gains and losses, recorded in “Gains (losses) on derivatives and hedging activities, net,” are primarily caused by interest rate volatility and changing credit spreads during the period as well as the volume and term of derivatives not receiving hedge accounting treatment. Cash flows on derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting are not recorded in interest income and interest expense; they are recorded in non-interest income: “Gains (losses) on derivatives and hedging activities, net.”
The adjustments required to reconcile from our non-GAAP “Core Earnings” results to our GAAP results of operations, net of tax, relate to differing treatments for those derivative instruments used to hedge our economic risks that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment. The amount recorded in “Gains (losses) on derivatives and hedging activities, net” includes (i) the accrual of the current payment on the interest rate swaps that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment, and (ii) the change in fair values related to future expected cash flows for derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment. For purposes of non-GAAP “Core Earnings,” we include in GAAP earnings the current period accrual amounts (interest reclassification) on the swaps and exclude the change in fair values for those derivatives not qualifying for hedge accounting treatment. Non-GAAP “Core Earnings” is meant to represent what earnings would have been had these derivatives qualified for hedge accounting and there was no ineffectiveness.
Non-GAAP “Core Earnings” are not a substitute for reported results under GAAP. We provide a non-GAAP “Core Earnings” basis of presentation because (i) earnings per share computed on a non-GAAP “Core Earnings” basis is one of several measures we utilize in establishing management incentive compensation, and (ii) we believe it better reflects the financial results for derivatives that are economic hedges of interest rate risk, but which do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment.
GAAP provides a uniform, comprehensive basis of accounting. Our non-GAAP “Core Earnings” basis of presentation differs from GAAP in the way it treats derivatives as described above.

The following table shows the amount in “Gains (losses) on derivatives and hedging activities, net” that relates to the interest reclassification on the derivative contracts.

Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Unrealized gains (losses) on instruments not in a hedging relationship$(248)$(10,863)
Interest reclassification243 10,891 
Gains (losses) on derivatives and hedging activities, net$(5)$28 


SLM CORPORATION 49


The following table reflects adjustments associated with our derivative activities.

Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)20222021
Non-GAAP “Core Earnings” adjustments to GAAP:
GAAP net income$128,812 $641,207 
Preferred stock dividends1,275 1,201 
GAAP net income attributable to SLM Corporation common stock$127,537 $640,006 
Adjustments:
Net impact of derivative accounting(1)
248 10,863 
Net tax expense(2)
60 2,627 
Total non-GAAP “Core Earnings” adjustments to GAAP188 8,236 
Non-GAAP “Core Earnings” attributable to SLM Corporation common stock$127,725 $648,242 
GAAP diluted earnings per common share$0.45 $1.75 
Derivative adjustments, net of tax0.01 0.02 
Non-GAAP “Core Earnings” diluted earnings per common share$0.46 $1.77 

(1) Derivative Accounting: Non-GAAP “Core Earnings” exclude periodic unrealized gains and losses caused by the mark-to-fair value valuations on derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment under GAAP, but include current period accruals on the derivative instruments. Under GAAP, for our derivatives held to maturity, the cumulative net unrealized gain or loss over the life of the contract will equal $0.
(2) Non-GAAP “Core Earnings” tax rate is based on the effective tax rate at the Bank where the derivative instruments are held.


The following table reflects our provisions for credit losses and total portfolio net charge-offs:
Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Provisions for credit losses$98,050 $(225,767)
Total portfolio net charge-offs$(76,030)$(47,612)

We evaluate management’s performance internally using a measure that starts with non-GAAP “Core Earnings” net income as disclosed above for a period, and further adjusting it by increasing it by the impact of GAAP provisions for credit losses, and decreasing it by the total portfolio net charge-offs recorded in that period, net of the tax impact of these adjustments.

50 SLM CORPORATION


LIBOR Transition
Following announcements by the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority (“UKFCA”), which regulates LIBOR, and ICE Benchmark Administration Limited, the administrator of LIBOR, publication of 1-week and 2-month USD LIBOR and all tenors for other currencies ceased after December 31, 2021. While publication of the remaining USD settings is expected to cease after June 30, 2023, U.S. banking and other global financial services regulators have directed regulated institutions to cease entering into new LIBOR-based contracts as soon as practicable and in any event by the end of 2021.
In 2020, we launched a formal cross-functional replacement project with the goal of ensuring a smooth transition to a replacement index for our LIBOR-based assets and obligations with minimal negative impact on our customers, investors, and the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The project team monitors developments, assesses impacts, proposes plans and, with the approval of an executive committee, implements changes. The Chief Financial Officer and/or project team reports status regularly to our Board of Directors. In 2020, we began accepting certain deposits based on SOFR. In the second quarter of 2021, we began issuing variable-rate Private Education Loans that are indexed to SOFR. In 2022, subject to market conditions and investor demand, we expect to begin issuing ABS that are indexed to SOFR and to renew the Secured Borrowing Facility with an index based on SOFR.
Substantially all our assets, liabilities, and off-balance sheet items referencing LIBOR are comprised of Private Education Loans originated before April 2021, deposits, variable-rate ABS, and derivatives. In addition, our Series B Preferred Stock is indexed to LIBOR. We plan to transition these exposures to LIBOR by changing them to an alternative reference rate, either through modification or replacement, by June 30, 2023, although we may accelerate the transition of our legacy Private Education Loans depending upon a number of considerations, including regulatory guidance. Approximately $309 million of our variable-rate ABS (those issued before November 2017) do not have fallback provisions for an alternative reference rate and we intend to rely upon the safe harbors provided by recently passed federal legislation to transition these ABS to an alternative reference rate. Generally, the safe harbors will shield parties from liability and damages for transitioning certain USD LIBOR-indexed contracts (generally, those that do not have provisions for an alternative reference rate) to a benchmark replacement rate based on SOFR and selected by the Federal Reserve Board. We have evaluated the potential basis risk associated with a mismatch in variable-rate assets and liabilities, including any mismatches related to (i) legacy assets and liabilities that remain indexed to LIBOR up to June 2023 and newly issued assets and liabilities that are, or will be, indexed to SOFR and (ii) term SOFR-indexed assets and liabilities and average SOFR assets and liabilities. In all such cases, we have determined the basis risk is immaterial on an aggregate basis.

SLM CORPORATION 51


The chart below depicts our current LIBOR exposure at March 31, 2022.

 
As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
LIBOR
Exposure
Private Education Loans$9,181,658 
FFELP Loans578,594 
Available-for-sale investments63,019 
Total Assets$9,823,271 
  
Deposits$3,951,933 
Private Education Loan term securitizations - no contractual fallback309,247 
Private Education Loan term securitizations - alternative reference rate fallback649,823 
Total Liabilities4,911,003 
Total Equity (preferred stock)251,070 
Total Liabilities and Equity$5,162,073 
Off-Balance Sheet:
Pay LIBOR derivative notional$3,678,960 
Receive LIBOR derivative notional1,407,412 
Total derivative notional5,086,372 
Secured Borrowing Facility2,000,000 
Total Off-Balance Sheet$7,086,372 

See Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in the 2021 Form 10-K for additional discussion regarding the risks associated with the transition from LIBOR.

52 SLM CORPORATION


Strategic Imperatives
To further focus our business and increase shareholder value, we continue to advance our strategic imperatives. Our focus remains on maximizing the profitability and growth of our core private student loan business, while harnessing and optimizing the power of our brand and attractive client base. In addition, we continue to seek to better inform the external narrative about student lending and Sallie Mae. We also strive to maintain a rigorous and predictable capital allocation and return program to create shareholder value. We are focused on driving a mission-led culture that continues to make Sallie Mae a great place to work. We also continue to strengthen our risk and compliance function, enhance and build upon our risk management framework, and assess and monitor enterprise-wide risk.
During the first three months of 2022, we made the following progress on the above corporate strategic imperatives.
Acquisition of Nitro College
On March 4, 2022, we completed the previously announced acquisition of Nitro, which provides resources that help students and families evaluate how to responsibly pay for college and manage their financial responsibilities after graduation. The addition of Nitro will bring innovative products, tools, and resources to help students and families confidently navigate their higher education journey.
We expect the acquisition of Nitro to enhance future strategic growth opportunities for Sallie Mae and to immediately expand our digital marketing capabilities, reduce the cost to acquire customer accounts, and accelerate our progress to become a broader education solutions provider helping students to, through, and immediately after college. For additional information on this transaction, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 1, “Significant Accounting Policies — Business Combination,” and Note 6, “Goodwill and Acquired Intangible Assets.”
2022-A Transaction
During the first three months of 2022, we sold $95 million of our Private Education Loans, including $89 million in principal and $6 million in capitalized interest, to an unaffiliated third party. This sale was part of a larger transaction in which the unaffiliated third-party sold to SMB Private Education Loan Trust 2022-A approximately $973 million of Private Education Loans that the third-party seller previously purchased from us on November 17, 2021. The sale of the $95 million of Private Education Loans qualified for sale treatment and removed the balance of those loans from our balance sheet on the settlement date of the 2022-A Transaction. We remained the servicer of these loans pursuant to applicable servicing agreements executed in connection with the sales. The sale resulted in our recognizing a gain of $10 million during the three months ended March 31, 2022. For additional information regarding these transactions, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 8, “Borrowings — Unconsolidated VIEs - 2022-A Transaction.”
Share Repurchases under our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, we repurchased 9.5 million shares of our common stock at a total cost of $176 million under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan authorized under our share repurchase programs.

SLM CORPORATION 53


Results of Operations
We present the results of operations below on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
 
GAAP Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)

(Dollars in millions,
except per share amounts)
Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
Increase
(Decrease)
20222021$%
Interest income:
Loans$458 $432 $26 %
Investments67 
Cash and cash equivalents 100 
Total interest income465 436 29 
Total interest expense90 105 (15)(14)
Net interest income375 331 44 13 
Less: provisions for credit losses98 (226)324 143 
Net interest income after provisions for credit losses277 557 (280)(50)
Non-interest income:
Gains on sales of loans, net10 399 (389)(97)
Other income12 14 (2)(14)
Total non-interest income22 413 (391)(95)
Non-interest expenses:
Total operating expenses132 125 
Acquired intangible assets amortization expense— 100 
Restructuring expenses— (1)(100)
Total non-interest expenses133 126 
Income before income tax expense166 844 (678)(80)
Income tax expense37 203 (166)(82)
Net income129 641 (512)(80)
Preferred stock dividends— — 
Net income attributable to SLM Corporation common stock$128 $640 $(512)(80)%
Basic earnings per common share$0.46 $1.77 $(1.31)(74)%
Diluted earnings per common share $0.45 $1.75 $(1.30)(74)%
Declared dividends per common share$0.11 $0.03 $0.08 267 %

54 SLM CORPORATION


 GAAP Consolidated Earnings Summary
Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 Compared with Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
For the three months ended March 31, 2022, net income was $129 million, or $0.45 diluted earnings per common share, compared with net income of $641 million, or $1.75 diluted earnings per common share, for the three months ended March 31, 2021.
The primary drivers of changes in net income for the current quarter compared with the year-ago quarter are as follows:
Net interest income increased by $44 million in the current quarter compared with the year-ago quarter primarily due to an $845 million increase in average loans outstanding and an 89-basis point increase in our net interest margin. Our net interest margin increased because of a combination of factors, including a $3.3 billion reduction in low-yielding average cash and other short-term investments, an increase in the yield on our loans and other interest-earning assets, and lower cost of funds. Historically, the yields on interest-earnings assets reprice more quickly than our cost of funds. As such, as rates increased in the first quarter of 2022, we saw the yields on our interest-earning assets increase while our cost of funds remained relatively flat compared with the fourth quarter of 2021, and lower than the year-ago quarter. The higher level of cash and other short-term investments in 2021 was primarily the result of the $3.16 billion Private Education Loan sale that occurred in the first quarter of 2021.
Provision for credit losses in the current quarter was $98 million, compared with a $226 million negative provision in the year-ago quarter. During the first quarter of 2022, the provision for credit losses was primarily affected by new loan commitments made during the quarter and additional management overlays, which were partially offset by improved economic forecasts and faster prepayment rates. In the year-ago quarter, the provision for credit losses was favorably affected by improved economic forecasts and faster prepayments speeds. During the first quarter of 2021, we increased our estimates of future prepayment speeds during both the two-year reasonable and supportable period as well as the remaining term of the underlying loans. The faster estimated prepayments speeds reflected the significant improvement in economic forecasts as well as the implementation of an updated prepayment speed model in the first quarter of 2021.
Gains on sales of loans were $10 million in the current quarter, compared with $399 million in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in gains on sales of loans was primarily the result of selling $95 million of Private Education Loans in the first quarter of 2022, compared with the sale of $3.16 billion of Private Education Loans in the year-ago quarter.
Other income was $12 million in the first quarter of 2022, compared with $14 million in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in other income compared with the year-ago quarter was primarily the result of a $2 million decrease in third-party servicing fees.
First-quarter 2022 total operating expenses were $132 million, compared with $125 million in the year-ago quarter. The increase in total operating expenses was primarily driven by transaction costs related to our acquisition of Nitro, higher personnel costs, and higher initiative spending.
During the first quarter of 2022, we recorded approximately $1 million in amortization of acquired intangible assets related to our acquisition of Nitro. For additional information, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 6, “Goodwill and Acquired Intangible Assets.”
First-quarter 2022 income tax expense was $37 million, compared with $203 million in the year-ago quarter. Our effective income tax rate decreased to 22.5 percent in the first quarter of 2022 from 24.1 percent in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in the effective rate for the first quarter of 2022 was primarily due to a tax benefit related to stock compensation.
SLM CORPORATION 55


Financial Condition
Average Balance Sheets
The following table reflects the rates earned on interest-earning assets and paid on interest-bearing liabilities and reflects our net interest margin on a consolidated basis.
 
 Three Months Ended March 31,
 20222021
(Dollars in thousands)BalanceRateBalanceRate
Average Assets    
Private Education Loans$21,858,270 8.38 %$20,984,491 8.22 %
FFELP Loans690,540 3.51 734,289 3.41 
Credit Cards26,622 3.95 11,841 0.78 
Taxable securities2,646,397 0.84 1,995,662 0.50 
Cash and other short-term investments3,535,198 0.20 6,789,310 0.14 
Total interest-earning assets28,757,027 6.56 %30,515,593 5.80 %
 
Non-interest-earning assets472,002 736,592 
 
Total assets$29,229,029 $31,252,185 
 
Average Liabilities and Equity
Brokered deposits$10,131,989 1.25 %$11,899,664 1.52 %
Retail and other deposits11,058,963 0.66 10,683,618 0.82 
Other interest-bearing liabilities(1)
5,779,749 2.87 5,193,925 3.03 
Total interest-bearing liabilities26,970,701 1.35 %27,777,207 1.53 %
 
Non-interest-bearing liabilities97,582 666,764 
Equity2,160,746 2,808,214 
Total liabilities and equity$29,229,029 $31,252,185 
 
Net interest margin5.29 %4.40 %
 
(1)  Includes the average balance of our unsecured borrowings, as well as secured borrowings and amortization expense of transaction costs related to our term asset-backed securitizations and our Secured Borrowing Facility.




56 SLM CORPORATION


Rate/Volume Analysis

The following rate/volume analysis shows the relative contribution of changes in interest rates and asset volumes to changes in interest income, interest expense, and net interest income.

 
(Dollars in thousands)Increase (Decrease)
Change Due To(1)
Rate 
Volume
Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 vs. 2021   
Interest income$28,880 $54,678 $(25,798)
Interest expense(15,038)(12,079)(2,959)
Net interest income$43,918 $63,592 $(19,674)

(1) Changes in income and expense due to both rate and volume have been allocated in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amounts of the change in each. The changes in income and expense are calculated independently for each line in the table. The totals for the rate and volume columns are not the sum of the individual lines.
Summary of Our Loans Held for Investment Portfolio
Ending Loans Held for Investment Balances, net

 
As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
Private
Education
Loans
FFELP
Loans
Credit CardsTotal Loans Held for Investment
Total loan portfolio:   
In-school(1)
$4,033,213$90$$4,033,303
Grace, repayment and other(2)
17,702,156682,18327,54718,411,886
Total, gross21,735,369682,27327,54722,445,189
Deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)71,9071,77017173,848
Allowance for credit losses(1,221,053)(3,999)(2,310)(1,227,362)
Total loans held for investment portfolio, net$20,586,223$680,044$25,408$21,291,675
    
% of total97 %%— %100 %

As of December 31, 2021
(dollars in thousands)
Private
Education
Loans
FFELP
Loans
Credit
Cards
Total Loans Held for Investment
Total loan portfolio:   
In-school(1)
$3,544,030 $82 $— $3,544,112 
Grace, repayment and other(2)
17,172,833 695,134 25,014 17,892,981 
Total, gross20,716,863 695,216 25,014 21,437,093 
Deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)67,488 1,815 222 69,525 
Allowance for credit losses(1,158,977)(4,077)(2,281)(1,165,335)
Total loans held for investment portfolio, net$19,625,374 $692,954 $22,955 $20,341,283 
   
% of total97 %%— %100 %
(1)      Loans for customers still attending school and who are not yet required to make payments on the loans.

(2)     Includes loans in deferment or forbearance. Loans in repayment include loans on which borrowers are making interest only or fixed payments, as well as loans that have entered full principal and interest repayment status after any applicable grace period.


    
SLM CORPORATION 57


Average Loans Held for Investment Balances (net of unamortized premium/discount)

 
Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Private Education Loans$21,858,270 97 %$20,984,491 97 %
FFELP Loans690,540 734,289 
Credit Cards26,622 — 11,841 — 
Total portfolio$22,575,432 100 %$21,730,621 100 %


Loans Held for Investment, Net Activity

 
Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
 Private
Education
Loans
FFELP
Loans
Credit
Cards
Total Loans
Held for
Investment, net
Beginning balance$19,625,374 $692,954 $22,955 $20,341,283 
Acquisitions and originations:
Fixed-rate1,357,719 — — 1,357,719 
Variable-rate836,916 — 21,323 858,239 
Total acquisitions and originations2,194,635 — 21,323 2,215,958 
Capitalized interest and deferred origination cost premium amortization114,691 6,567 (80)121,178 
Sales
(89,058)— — (89,058)
Loan consolidations to third-parties(499,431)(8,683)— (508,114)
Allowance(62,076)78 (29)(62,027)
Repayments and other(697,912)(10,872)(18,761)(727,545)
Ending balance$20,586,223 $680,044 $25,408 $21,291,675 



Three Months Ended March 31, 2021
(dollars in thousands)
 Private
Education
Loans
FFELP
Loans
Credit
Cards
Total Loans
Held for
Investment, net
Beginning balance$18,436,968 $735,208 $10,967 $19,183,143 
Acquisitions and originations:
Fixed-rate1,015,787 — — 1,015,787 
Variable-rate1,052,088 — 8,760 1,060,848 
Total acquisitions and originations2,067,875 — 8,760 2,076,635 
Capitalized interest and deferred origination cost premium amortization85,470 7,629 (185)92,914 
Sales
(125,792)— — (125,792)
Transfer from loans held-for-sale25,040 — — 25,040 
Loan consolidations to third-parties(389,209)(6,670)— (395,879)
Allowance182,469 60 173 182,702 
Repayments and other(649,888)(10,927)(9,661)(670,476)
Ending balance$19,632,933 $725,300 $10,054 $20,368,287 

“Loan consolidations to third-parties” and “Repayments and other” are both significantly affected by the volume of loans in our held for investment portfolio in full principal and interest repayment status. Loans in full principal and interest repayment status in our Private Education Loans held for investment portfolio at March 31, 2022 increased by 2 percent compared with March 31, 2021, and now total 42 percent of our Private Education Loans held for investment portfolio at March 31, 2022.
58 SLM CORPORATION


“Loan consolidations to third-parties” for the three months ended March 31, 2022 total 5.7 percent of our Private Education Loans held for investment portfolio in full principal and interest repayment status at March 31, 2022, or 2.4 percent of our total Private Education Loans held for investment portfolio at March 31, 2022, compared with the year-ago period of 4.5 percent of our Private Education Loans held for investment portfolio in full principal and interest repayment status, or 2.0 percent of our total Private Education Loans held for investment portfolio, respectively. Historical experience has shown that loan consolidation activity is heightened in the period when the loan initially enters full principal and interest repayment status and then subsides over time.
The “Repayments and other” category includes all scheduled repayments, as well as voluntary prepayments, made on loans in repayment (including loans in full principal and interest repayment status) and also includes charge-offs. Consequently, this category can be significantly affected by the volume of loans in repayment.
Private Education Loan Originations
The following table summarizes our Private Education Loan originations. Originations represent loans that were funded or acquired during the period presented.

 
 Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)2022%2021%
Smart Option - interest only(1)
$430,329 20 %$475,442 23 %
Smart Option - fixed pay(1)
711,395 32 614,883 30 
Smart Option - deferred(1)
867,108 40 773,592 37 
Graduate Loan150,460 162,483 
Parent Loan(2)
29,365 38,513 
Total Private Education Loan originations$2,188,657 100 %$2,064,913 100 %
Percentage of loans with a cosigner88.0 %88.5 %
Average FICO at approval(3)
748 751 

(1) Interest only, fixed pay and deferred describe the payment option while in school or in grace period. See Item 1. “Business - Our Business - Private Education Loans” in the 2021 Form 10-K for a further discussion.
(2) In December 2021, we discontinued offering our Parent Loan product. Applications for those loans received before the offering termination date will continue to be processed, with final disbursements under those loans to occur until mid-December 2022.
(3) Represents the higher credit score of the cosigner or the borrower.
SLM CORPORATION 59


Allowance for Credit Losses
Allowance for Credit Losses Activity

  
Three Months Ended March 31,
(dollars in thousands)
20222021
Private
Education
Loans
FFELP
Loans
Credit CardsTotal
Portfolio
Private
Education
Loans
FFELP
Loans
Credit CardsTotal
Portfolio
Beginning balance$1,158,977 $4,077 $2,281 $1,165,335 $1,355,844 $4,378 $1,501 $1,361,723 
Transfer from unfunded commitment liability(1)
94,686 — — 94,686 126,880 — — 126,880 
Less:      
Charge-offs
(83,856)(99)(111)(84,066)(55,139)(89)(88)(55,316)
Plus:      
Recoveries8,033 — 8,036 7,703 — 7,704 
Provisions for credit losses:
Provision, current period48,460 21 137 48,618 (254,942)29 (86)(254,999)
Loan sale reduction to provision(5,247)— — (5,247)(8,858)— — (8,858)
Loans transferred from held-for-sale— — — — 1,887 — — 1,887 
Total provisions for credit losses(2)
43,213 21 137 43,371 (261,913)29 (86)(261,970)
Ending balance$1,221,053 $3,999 $2,310 $1,227,362 $1,173,375 $4,318 $1,328 $1,179,021 

(1)  See Note 5, “Unfunded Loan Commitments,” in this Form 10-Q for a summary of the activity in the allowance for and balance of unfunded loan commitments, respectively.
(2)  Below is a reconciliation of the provision for credit losses reported in the consolidated statements of income. When a new loan commitment is made, we record the CECL allowance as a liability for unfunded commitments by recording a provision for credit losses. When the loan is funded, we transfer that liability to the allowance for credit losses.
Consolidated Statements of Income
Provisions for Credit Losses Reconciliation
Three Months Ended March 31,
(dollars in thousands)
20222021
Private Education Loan provisions for credit losses:
Provisions for loan losses$43,213 $(261,913)
Provisions for unfunded loan commitments54,679 36,203 
Total Private Education Loan provisions for credit losses97,892 (225,710)
Other impacts to the provisions for credit losses:
FFELP Loans21 29 
Credit Cards137 (86)
Total158 (57)
Provisions for credit losses reported in consolidated statements of income$98,050 $(225,767)


60 SLM CORPORATION


Private Education Loan Allowance for Credit Losses
In establishing the allowance for Private Education Loan losses as of March 31, 2022, we considered several factors with respect to our Private Education Loan portfolio, in particular, credit quality and delinquency, forbearance, and charge-off trends.
Private Education Loans held for investment in full principal and interest repayment status were 42 percent of our total Private Education Loans held for investment portfolio at March 31, 2022, compared with 44 percent at March 31, 2021.
For a more detailed discussion of our policy for determining the collectability of Private Education Loans and maintaining our allowance for Private Education Loans, see Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Allowance for Credit Losses” and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 5, “Loans Held for Investment — Certain Collection Tools - Private Education Loans” in the 2021 Form 10-K.
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The table below presents our Private Education Loans held for investment portfolio delinquency trends. Loans in repayment include loans making interest only or fixed payments, as well as loans that have entered full principal and interest repayment status after any applicable grace period (but, for purposes of the following table, do not include those loans while they are in forbearance).

Private Education Loans Held for Investment20222021
March 31, (dollars in thousands)Balance%Balance%
Loans in-school/grace/deferment(1)(2)
$5,405,952 $5,393,674 
Loans in forbearance(1)(3)
234,260 570,227 
Loans in repayment(1) and percentage of each status:
Loans current15,530,080 96.5 %14,471,427 97.9 %
Loans delinquent 30-59 days(4)
260,535 1.6 152,743 1.0 
Loans delinquent 60-89 days(4)
169,060 1.1 86,390 0.6 
Loans 90 days or greater past due(4)
135,482 0.8 67,379 0.5 
Total Private Education Loans in repayment16,095,157 100.0 %14,777,939 100.0 %
Total Private Education Loans, gross21,735,369 20,741,840  
Private Education Loans deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)71,907 64,468  
Total Private Education Loans21,807,276 20,806,308  
Private Education Loans allowance for losses(1,221,053)(1,173,375) 
Private Education Loans, net$20,586,223 $19,632,933  
 
Percentage of Private Education Loans in repayment74.1 %71.2 %
Delinquencies as a percentage of Private Education Loans in repayment3.5 %2.1 %
 
Loans in forbearance as a percentage of Private Education Loans in repayment and forbearance1.4 %3.7 %
(1)At March 31, 2021, the loans in the “in-school/grace/deferment” category above include $273 million of Private Education Loans whose borrowers did not return to school in the fall of 2020 because of the pandemic, or for other reasons, and who then received an extension of time from us to re-enroll before beginning their grace period. At March 31, 2021, the loans in the “in forbearance” category above include $29 million of Private Education Loans whose borrowers did not return to school in the fall of 2020 and who then received an extension of time from us to re-enroll before beginning their grace period. At March 31, 2021, the loans in the “in repayment” category above include $482 million of Private Education Loans whose borrowers did not return to school in the fall of 2020 and who then received an extension of time from us to re-enroll before beginning their grace period. This program ended in September 2021. For further discussion, see Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Impact of COVID-19 on Sallie Mae — Financial Results” in the 2021 Form 10-K. 
(2)Deferment includes customers who have returned to school or are engaged in other permitted educational activities and are not yet required to make payments on the loans (e.g., residency periods for medical students or a grace period for bar exam preparation).
(3)Loans for customers who have requested extension of grace period generally during employment transition or who have temporarily ceased making full payments due to hardship or other factors, consistent with established loan program servicing policies and procedures.
(4)The period of delinquency is based on the number of days scheduled payments are contractually past due.

Delinquencies as a percentage of Private Education Loans (held for investment) in repayment increased to 3.5 percent at March 31, 2022 from 2.1 percent at March 31, 2021, and the forbearance rate decreased to 1.4 percent at March 31, 2022 from 3.7 percent at March 31, 2021. The delinquency rate on March 31, 2022 was higher than the year-ago quarter due to several factors, including the credit administration practices changes we implemented in 2021 that imposed additional requirements for those borrowers requesting forbearance, as well as certain loans whose borrowers took a “gap year” during the pandemic entering repayment in late 2021. The lower forbearance rate was the result of the aforementioned credit administration practices changes. See additional discussion related to collections activity and the COVID-19 pandemic in Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Impact of COVID-19 on Sallie Mae — Customers and Credit Performance” and “— Use of Forbearance and Rate Modifications as a Private Education Loan Tool” in the 2021 Form 10-K.

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Changes in Allowance for Private Education Loan Losses
The following table summarizes changes in the allowance for Private Education Loan (held for investment) losses.
 
 Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Beginning balance$1,158,977 $1,355,844 
Transfer from unfunded commitment liability(1)
94,686 126,880 
Provision for credit losses:
Provision, current period48,460 (254,942)
Loan sale reduction to provision(5,247)(8,858)
Loans transferred from held-for-sale— 1,887 
Total provision43,213 (261,913)
Net charge-offs:
Charge-offs(83,856)(55,139)
Recoveries8,033 7,703 
Net charge-offs(75,823)(47,436)
Ending balance$1,221,053 $1,173,375 
 
Allowance as a percentage of the ending total loan balance5.62 %5.66 %
Allowance as a percentage of the ending loans in repayment(2)
7.59 %7.94 %
Allowance coverage of net charge-offs (annualized)4.03 6.18 
Net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans in repayment (annualized)(2)
1.89 %1.29 %
Delinquencies as a percentage of ending loans in repayment(2)
3.51 %2.07 %
Loans in forbearance as a percentage of ending loans in repayment and forbearance(2)
1.43 %3.72 %
Ending total loans, gross$21,735,369 $20,741,840 
Average loans in repayment(2)
$16,013,289 $14,743,508 
Ending loans in repayment(2)
$16,095,157 $14,777,939 
(1) See Note 5, “Unfunded Loan Commitments,” in this Form 10-Q for a summary of the activity in the allowance for and balance of unfunded loan commitments, respectively.
(2) Loans in repayment include loans on which borrowers are making interest only or fixed payments, as well as loans that have entered full principal and interest repayment status after any applicable grace period.
 
As part of concluding on the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses, we review key allowance and loan metrics. The most significant of these metrics considered are the allowance coverage of net charge-offs ratio; the allowance as a percentage of ending total loans and of ending loans in repayment; and delinquency and forbearance percentages.
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The tables below show the composition and status of the Private Education Loan portfolio held for investment aged by number of months in active repayment status (months for which a scheduled monthly payment was due). Active repayment status includes loans on which borrowers are making interest only or fixed payments, as well as loans that have entered full principal and interest repayment status after any applicable grace period. Our experience shows that the percentage of loans in forbearance status generally decreases the longer the loans have been in active repayment status. At March 31, 2022, for Private Education Loans (held for investment) that have been in active repayment status for fewer than 25 months, loans in forbearance status as a percentage of loans in repayment and forbearance were 1.1 percent. Approximately 75 percent of our Private Education Loans (held for investment) in forbearance status have been in active repayment status fewer than 25 months.

As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in millions)
Private Education Loans Held for Investment
Monthly Scheduled Payments Due
Not Yet in
Repayment
Total
0 to 1213 to 2425 to 3637 to 48More than 48
Loans in-school/grace/deferment$— $— $— $— $— $5,406 $5,406 
Loans in forbearance141 35 23 15 20 — 234 
Loans in repayment - current5,408 3,244 2,288 1,562 3,028 — 15,530 
Loans in repayment - delinquent 30-59 days104 46 36 26 49 — 261 
Loans in repayment - delinquent 60-89 days78 26 21 15 29 — 169 
Loans in repayment - 90 days or greater past due63 23 15 11 23 — 135 
Total$5,794 $3,374 $2,383 $1,629 $3,149 $5,406 21,735 
Deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)      72 
Allowance for credit losses      (1,221)
Total Private Education Loans, net      $20,586 
   
Loans in forbearance as a percentage of total Private Education Loans in repayment and forbearance0.86 %0.21 %0.15 %0.09 %0.12 %— %1.43 %
 
As of March 31, 2021
(dollars in millions)
Private Education Loans Held for Investment
Monthly Scheduled Payments Due
Not Yet in
Repayment
Total
0 to 1213 to 2425 to 3637 to 48More than 48
Loans in-school/grace/deferment$— $— $— $— $— $5,394 $5,394 
Loans in forbearance316 78 62 46 68 — 570 
Loans in repayment - current4,421 3,244 2,220 1,614 2,973 — 14,472 
Loans in repayment - delinquent 30-59 days62 27 19 17 28 — 153 
Loans in repayment - delinquent 60-89 days37 17 11 14 — 86 
Loans in repayment - 90 days or greater past due28 11 10 11 — 67 
Total$4,864 $3,377 $2,322 $1,691 $3,094 $5,394 20,742 
Deferred origination costs and unamortized premium/(discount)      64 
Allowance for credit losses      (1,173)
Total Private Education Loans, net      $19,633 
 
Loans in forbearance as a percentage of total Private Education Loans in repayment and forbearance2.06 %0.51 %0.41 %0.30 %0.44 %— %3.72 %

64 SLM CORPORATION



Private Education Loans Held for Investment Types
The following table provides information regarding the loans in repayment balance and total loan balance by Private Education Loan held for investment product type at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

 
As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
Signature and
Other
Parent Loan(1)
Smart OptionCareer
Training
Graduate
Loan
Total
$ in repayment(2)
$220,117 $310,376 $14,625,889 $7,854 $930,921 $16,095,157 
$ in total$311,852 $311,491 $19,737,147 $8,015 $1,366,864 $21,735,369 
 

 
As of December 31, 2021 (dollars in thousands)Signature and
Other
Parent Loan(1)
Smart OptionCareer
Training
Graduate
Loan
Total
$ in repayment(2)
$221,637 $301,422 $14,097,819 $9,354 $880,980 $15,511,212 
$ in total$318,055 $302,764 $18,789,771 $9,402 $1,296,871 $20,716,863 
(1) In December 2021, we discontinued offering our Parent Loan product. Applications for those loans received before the offering termination date will continue to be processed, with final disbursements under those loans to occur until mid–December 2022.
(2) Loans in repayment include loans on which borrowers are making interest only or fixed payments, as well as loans that have entered full principal and interest repayment status after any applicable grace period.


Accrued Interest Receivable
The following table provides information regarding accrued interest receivable on our Private Education Loans held for investment. The table also discloses the amount of accrued interest on loans 90 days or greater past due as compared to our allowance for uncollectible interest. The majority of the total accrued interest receivable represents accrued interest on deferred loans where no payments are due while the borrower is in school and fixed-pay loans where the borrower makes a $25 monthly payment that is smaller than the interest accruing on that loan in that month. The accrued interest on these loans will be capitalized against the balance of the loans when the borrower exits the grace period upon separation from school.

Private Education Loans
 
Accrued Interest Receivable
(Dollars in thousands)Total Interest Receivable90 Days or Greater Past DueAllowance for
Uncollectible
Interest
March 31, 2022$1,241,574 $6,292 $5,505 
December 31, 2021$1,187,123 $3,635 $4,937 
March 31, 2021$1,248,475 $3,695 $4,405 
 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Funding and Liquidity Risk Management
Our primary liquidity needs include our ongoing ability to fund our businesses throughout market cycles, including during periods of financial stress, our ongoing ability to fund originations of Private Education Loans and other loans, and our ability to meet any outflows of our Bank deposits. To achieve these objectives, we analyze and monitor our liquidity needs, maintain excess liquidity and access to diverse funding sources, such as deposits at the Bank, issuance of secured debt primarily through asset-backed securitizations, and other financing facilities, and loan sales. It is our policy to manage operations so liquidity needs are fully satisfied through normal operations to avoid unplanned loan sales under all but the most dire emergency conditions. Our liquidity management is governed by policies approved by our Board of Directors. Oversight of these policies is performed in the Asset and Liability Committee, a management-level committee.
These policies take into account the volatility of cash flow forecasts, expected asset and liability maturities, anticipated loan demand, and a variety of other factors to establish minimum liquidity guidelines.
Key risks associated with our liquidity relate to our ability to access the capital markets and the markets for bank deposits at reasonable rates. This ability may be affected by our performance, competitive pressures, the macroeconomic environment, and the impact they have on the availability of funding sources in the marketplace. We target maintaining sufficient on-balance sheet and contingent sources of liquidity to enable us to meet all contractual and contingent obligations under various stress scenarios, including severe macroeconomic stresses as well as specific stresses that test the resiliency of our balance sheet. As the Bank has grown, we have improved our liquidity stress testing practices to align more closely with the industry, which resulted in our adopting increased liquidity requirements. Beginning in the second quarter of 2019, we began to increase our liquidity levels by increasing cash and marketable investments held as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance our ability to maintain a strong risk management position. By early 2020 and continuing through 2021, we held a significant liquidity buffer of cash and securities, which we expect to maintain through 2022. Due to the seasonal nature of our business, our liquidity levels will likely vary from quarter to quarter.
Sources of Liquidity and Available Capacity
Ending Balances
(Dollars in thousands)March 31, 2022December 31, 2021
Sources of primary liquidity:  
Unrestricted cash and liquid investments:  
Holding Company and other non-bank subsidiaries$8,510 $2,588 
Sallie Mae Bank(1)
3,254,085 4,332,015 
Available-for-sale investments
2,111,180 2,325,711 
Total unrestricted cash and liquid investments$5,373,775 $6,660,314 

(1) This amount will be used primarily to originate Private Education Loans at the Bank.
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Average Balances
 
 Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Sources of primary liquidity:
Unrestricted cash and liquid investments:
Holding Company and other non-bank subsidiaries$9,674 $4,284 
Sallie Mae Bank(1)
3,308,624 6,582,708 
Available-for-sale investments2,452,193 1,837,361 
Total unrestricted cash and liquid investments$5,770,491 $8,424,353 
(1) This amount will be used primarily to originate Private Education Loans at the Bank.
Deposits
The following table summarizes total deposits.
March 31,December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)20222021
Deposits - interest bearing$21,192,004 $20,826,692 
Deposits - non-interest bearing2,022 1,432 
Total deposits$21,194,026 $20,828,124 

Our total deposits of $21.2 billion were comprised of $10.0 billion in brokered deposits and $11.2 billion in retail and other deposits at March 31, 2022, compared to total deposits of $20.8 billion, which were comprised of $10.1 billion in brokered deposits and $10.7 billion in retail and other deposits, at December 31, 2021.
Interest bearing deposits as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 consisted of retail and brokered non-maturity savings deposits, retail and brokered non-maturity MMDAs, and retail and brokered CDs. Interest bearing deposits include deposits from Educational 529 and Health Savings plans that diversify our funding sources and additional deposits we consider to be core. These and other large omnibus accounts, aggregating the deposits of many individual depositors, represented $7.8 billion and $7.3 billion of our deposit total as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
Some of our deposit products are serviced by third-party providers. Placement fees associated with the brokered CDs are amortized into interest expense using the effective interest rate method. We recognized placement fee expense of $3 million and $4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Fees paid to third-party brokers related to brokered CDs were $2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. There were no related fees paid in the three months ended March 31, 2021.
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Interest bearing deposits at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are summarized as follows:

 March 31, 2022December 31, 2021
(Dollars in thousands)Amount
Qtr.-End
Weighted
Average
Stated Rate(1)
Amount
Year-End
Weighted
Average
Stated Rate(1)
Money market$10,984,116 0.79 %$10,473,569 0.69 %
Savings968,059 0.43 959,122 0.43 
Certificates of deposit9,239,829 1.37 9,394,001 1.20 
Deposits - interest bearing$21,192,004 $20,826,692 
(1) Includes the effect of interest rate swaps in effective hedge relationships.

As of March 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, there were $532 million and $743 million, respectively, of deposits exceeding FDIC insurance limits. Accrued interest on deposits was $42 million and $35 million at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Counterparty Exposure
Counterparty exposure related to financial instruments arises from the risk that a lending, investment, or derivative counterparty will not be able to meet its obligations to us.
Excess cash is generally invested with the FRB on an overnight basis or in the FRB’s Term Deposit Facility, minimizing counterparty exposure on cash balances.
Our investment portfolio is primarily comprised of U.S. government-sponsored enterprises and Treasuries, and a small portfolio of mortgage-backed securities issued by government agencies and government-sponsored enterprises that are purchased to meet CRA targets. Additionally, our investing activity is governed by Board-approved limits on the amount that is allowed to be invested with any one issuer based on the credit rating of the issuer, further minimizing our counterparty exposure. Counterparty credit risk is considered when valuing investments and considering impairment.
Related to derivative transactions, protection against counterparty risk is generally provided by International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Credit Support Annexes (“CSAs”), or clearinghouses for over-the-counter derivatives. CSAs require a counterparty to post collateral if a potential default would expose the other party to a loss. All derivative contracts entered into by the Bank are covered under CSAs or clearinghouse agreements and require collateral to be exchanged based on the net fair value of derivatives with each counterparty. Our exposure to the counterparty is limited to the value of the derivative contracts in a gain position, less any collateral held by us and plus collateral posted with the counterparty.
Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act requires all standardized derivatives, including most interest rate swaps, to be submitted for clearing to central counterparties to reduce counterparty risk. Two of the central counterparties we use are the CME and the LCH. All variation margin payments on derivatives cleared through the CME and LCH are accounted for as legal settlement. As of March 31, 2022, $4.8 billion notional of our derivative contracts were cleared on the CME and $0.3 billion were cleared on the LCH. The derivative contracts cleared through the CME and LCH represent 94.3 percent and 5.7 percent, respectively, of our total notional derivative contracts of $5.1 billion at March 31, 2022.
For derivatives cleared through the CME and LCH, the net gain (loss) position includes the variation margin amounts as settlement of the derivative and not collateral against the fair value of the derivative. The amount of variation margin included as settlement as of March 31, 2022 was $(64) million and $(0.4) million for the CME and LCH, respectively. Changes in fair value for derivatives not designated as hedging instruments are presented as realized gains (losses).
Our exposure to the counterparty is limited to the value of the derivative contracts in a gain position less any collateral held and plus any collateral posted. When there is a net negative exposure, we consider our exposure to the counterparty to be zero. At March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had a net positive exposure (derivative gain positions to us, less collateral held by us and plus collateral posted with counterparties) related to derivatives of $9 million and $9 million, respectively.
68 SLM CORPORATION


We have liquidity exposure related to collateral movements between us and our derivative counterparties. Movements in the value of the derivatives, which are primarily affected by changes in interest rates, may require us to return cash collateral held or may require us to access primary liquidity to post collateral to counterparties.
The table below highlights exposure related to our derivative counterparties as of March 31, 2022.

As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
SLM Corporation
and Sallie Mae Bank
Contracts
Total exposure, net of collateral
$9,233 
Exposure to counterparties with credit ratings, net of collateral$9,233 
Percent of exposure to counterparties with credit ratings below S&P AA- or Moody’s Aa3— %
Percent of exposure to counterparties with credit ratings below S&P A- or Moody’s A3— %

Regulatory Capital
The Bank is subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by federal and state banking authorities. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and possibly additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Under U.S. Basel III and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Bank must meet specific capital standards that involve quantitative measures of its assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The Bank’s capital amounts and its classification under the prompt corrective action framework are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components of capital, risk weightings, and other factors.
 Capital Management
The Bank intends to maintain at all times regulatory capital levels that meet both the minimum levels required under U.S. Basel III (including applicable buffers) and the levels necessary to be considered “well capitalized” under the FDIC’s prompt corrective action framework, in order to support asset growth and operating needs, address unexpected credit risks, and protect the interests of depositors and the Deposit Insurance Fund (the “DIF”) administered by the FDIC. The Bank’s Capital Policy requires management to monitor these capital standards and the Bank’s compliance with them. The Board of Directors and management periodically evaluate the quality of assets, the stability of earnings, and the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses for the Bank. The Company is a source of strength for the Bank and will provide additional capital if necessary.
We believe that current and projected capital levels are appropriate for 2022. As of March 31, 2022, the Bank’s risk-based and leverage capital ratios exceed the required minimum ratios and the applicable buffers under the fully phased-in U.S. Basel III standards as well as the “well capitalized” standards under the prompt corrective action framework.
Under U.S. Basel III, the Bank is required to maintain the following minimum regulatory capital ratios: a Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 4.5 percent, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.0 percent, a Total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0 percent, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4.0 percent. In addition, the Bank is subject to a Common Equity Tier 1 capital conservation buffer of greater than 2.5 percent. Failure to maintain the buffer will result in restrictions on the Bank’s ability to make capital distributions, including the payment of dividends, and to pay discretionary bonuses to executive officers.
To qualify as “well capitalized” under the prompt corrective action framework for insured depository institutions, the Bank must maintain a Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 6.5 percent, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 8.0 percent, a Total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10.0 percent, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 5.0 percent.
Under regulations issued by the FDIC and other federal banking agencies, banking organizations that adopt CECL during the 2020 calendar year, including the Bank, may elect to delay for two years, and then phase in over the following three years, the effects on regulatory capital of CECL relative to the incurred loss methodology. The Bank has elected to use this option. Therefore, the regulatory capital impact of the Bank’s transition adjustments recorded on January 1, 2020 from the adoption of CECL, and 25 percent of the ongoing impact of CECL on the Bank’s allowance for credit losses,
SLM CORPORATION 69


retained earnings, and average total consolidated assets, each as reported for regulatory capital purposes (collectively, the “adjusted transition amounts”), were deferred for the two-year period ending January 1, 2022. From January 1, 2022 to January 1, 2025, the adjusted transition amounts will be phased in for regulatory capital purposes at a rate of 25 percent per year, with the phased-in amounts included in regulatory capital at the beginning of each year. The Bank’s January 1, 2020 CECL transition amounts increased our allowance for credit losses by $1.1 billion, increased the liability representing our off-balance sheet exposure for unfunded commitments by $116 million, and increased our deferred tax asset by $306 million, resulting in a cumulative effect adjustment that reduced retained earnings by $953 million. This transition adjustment was inclusive of qualitative adjustments incorporated into our CECL allowance as necessary, to address any limitations in the models used.
At March 31, 2022, the adjusted transition amounts, reflecting changes over the phase-in period, that will be deferred for regulatory capital purposes are as follows:

Transition AmountsAdjustments for the Year EndedAdjustments for the Year EndedAdjustments
 for the
Three Months Ended
Adjusted Transition Amounts
(Dollars in thousands)January 1, 2020December 31, 2020December 31, 2021March 31, 2022March 31, 2022
Retained earnings$952,639 $(57,859)$(58,429)$(209,088)$627,263 
Allowance for credit losses1,143,053 (55,811)(49,097)(259,536)778,609 
Liability for unfunded commitments115,758 (2,048)(9,333)(26,094)78,283 
Deferred tax asset306,171 — — (76,542)229,629 

The Bank’s required and actual regulatory capital amounts and ratios under U.S. Basel III are shown in the following table. The following capital amounts and ratios are based upon the Bank’s average assets and risk-weighted assets, as indicated.
 Actual
U.S. Basel III Minimum
Requirements Plus Buffer(1)(2)
(Dollars in thousands)AmountRatioAmountRatio
As of March 30, 2022(3):
Common Equity Tier 1 Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,155,469 12.9 %$1,710,526 >7.0 %
Tier 1 Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,155,469 12.9 %$2,077,067 >8.5 %
Total Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,462,126 14.2 %$2,565,789 >10.5 %
Tier 1 Capital (to Average Assets)$3,155,469 10.5 %

$1,199,485 >4.0 %
As of December 31, 2021:
Common Equity Tier 1 Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,314,657 14.1 %$1,643,132 >7.0 %
Tier 1 Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,314,657 14.1 %$1,995,232 >8.5 %
Total Capital (to Risk-Weighted Assets)$3,410,183 14.5 %$2,464,699 >10.5 %
Tier 1 Capital (to Average Assets)$3,314,657 11.1 %$1,198,808 >4.0 %
            
             
(1)     Reflects the U.S. Basel III minimum required ratio plus the applicable capital conservation buffer.
(2)    The Bank’s regulatory capital ratios also exceeded all applicable standards for the Bank to qualify as “well capitalized” under the prompt corrective action framework.
(3)    For March 31, 2022, the actual amounts and the actual ratios include the adjusted transition amounts discussed above.
 
70 SLM CORPORATION


Dividends
The Bank is chartered under the laws of the State of Utah and its deposits are insured by the FDIC. The Bank’s ability to pay dividends is subject to the laws of Utah and the regulations of the FDIC. Generally, under Utah’s industrial bank laws and regulations as well as FDIC regulations, the Bank may pay dividends from its net profits without regulatory approval if, following the payment of the dividend, the Bank’s capital and surplus would not be impaired. The Bank declared $108 million in dividends to the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2022, and $1.0 billion in dividends to the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2021, with the proceeds primarily used to fund the 2022, 2021, and 2020 Share Repurchase Programs and stock dividends. In the future, we expect that the Bank will pay dividends to the Company as may be necessary to enable the Company to pay any declared dividends on its Series B Preferred Stock and common stock and to consummate any common share repurchases by the Company under its share repurchase programs.

Borrowings
Outstanding borrowings consist of unsecured debt and secured borrowings issued through our term ABS program and our Secured Borrowing Facility. The issuing entities for those secured borrowings are VIEs and are consolidated for accounting purposes. The following table summarizes our borrowings at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. For additional information, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 8, “Borrowings.”

March 31, 2022December 31, 2021
(Dollars in thousands)Short-TermLong-TermTotalShort-TermLong-TermTotal
Unsecured borrowings:
Unsecured debt (fixed-rate)$— $986,591 $986,591 $— $986,138 $986,138 
Total unsecured borrowings— 986,591 986,591 — 986,138 986,138 
Secured borrowings:
Private Education Loan term securitizations:
Fixed-rate— 3,608,606 3,608,606 — 3,897,996 3,897,996 
Variable-rate— 957,300 957,300 — 1,046,856 1,046,856 
Total Private Education Loan term securitizations— 4,565,906 4,565,906 — 4,944,852 4,944,852 
Secured Borrowing Facility— — — — — — 
Total secured borrowings— 4,565,906 4,565,906 — 4,944,852 4,944,852 
Total$— $5,552,497 $5,552,497 $— $5,930,990 $5,930,990 
Other Borrowing Sources
We maintain discretionary uncommitted Federal Funds lines of credit with various correspondent banks, which totaled $125 million at March 31, 2022. The interest rate we are charged on these lines of credit is priced at Fed Funds plus a spread at the time of borrowing and is payable daily. We did not utilize these lines of credit in the three months ended March 31, 2022 or in the year ended December 31, 2021.
We established an account at the FRB to meet eligibility requirements for access to the Primary Credit borrowing facility at the FRB’s Window. The Primary Credit borrowing facility is a lending program available to depository institutions that are in generally sound financial condition. All borrowings at the Window must be fully collateralized. We can pledge asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, as well as FFELP Loans and Private Education Loans, to the FRB as collateral for borrowings at the Window. Generally, collateral value is assigned based on the estimated fair value of the pledged assets. At March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the value of our pledged collateral at the FRB totaled $2.9 billion and $3.3 billion, respectively. The interest rate charged to us is the discount rate set by the FRB. We did not utilize this facility in the three months ended March 31, 2022 or in the year ended December 31, 2021.

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Contractual Loan Commitments
When we approve a Private Education Loan at the beginning of an academic year, that approval may cover the borrowing for the entire academic year. As such, we do not always disburse the full amount of the loan at the time of such approval, but instead have a commitment to fund a portion of the loan at a later date (usually at the start of the second semester or subsequent trimesters). We estimate expected credit losses over the contractual period in which we are exposed to credit risk via a contractual obligation to extend credit, unless that obligation is unconditionally cancellable by us. At March 31, 2022, we had $562 million of outstanding contractual loan commitments that we expect to fund during the remainder of the 2021/2022 academic year. At March 31, 2022, we had a $33 million reserve recorded in “Other Liabilities” to cover lifetime expected credit losses on these unfunded commitments. See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies - Allowance for Credit Losses - 2021 and 2020 — Off-Balance Sheet Exposure for Contractual Loan Commitments - 2021 and 2020” in our 2021 Form 10-K and Note 5, “Unfunded Loan Commitments” in this Form 10-Q for additional information.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations addresses our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. A discussion of our critical accounting policies, which include allowance for credit losses, can be found in our 2021 Form 10-K. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, we adopted ASU No. 2022-02, which affects the accounting and disclosure of TDRs, as discussed below.
Recently Issued and Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
On March 31, 2022, the FASB issued ASU No. 2022-02, “Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures,” which eliminates the accounting guidance for TDRs while enhancing disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancings and restructurings by creditors when a borrower is experiencing financial difficulty. The enhanced disclosures are required to be provided for modifications made starting in the period of adoption. Information about modifications in periods before adoption is not required to be provided.
ASU No. 2022-02 also requires that entities disclose current-period gross charge-offs by year of origination. For entities that have adopted the amendments in ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments” (“CECL”), the amendment is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years.
Early adoption of the amendments in ASU No. 2022-02 is permitted if an entity has adopted CECL. The amendments should be applied prospectively. For the transition method related to the recognition and measurement of TDRs, an entity has the option to apply a modified retrospective transition method. We have elected to early adopt ASU No. 2022-02 prospectively for the period beginning January 1, 2022. The adoption did not affect our consolidated financial statements. For additional information, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 4, "Allowance for Credit Losses".


72 SLM CORPORATION


Item 3.     Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Interest Rate Sensitivity Analysis
Our interest rate risk management program seeks to manage and control interest rate risk, thereby reducing our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates and achieving consistent and acceptable levels of profit in any rate environment, and sustainable growth in net interest income over the long term. We evaluate and monitor interest rate risk through two primary methods:
Earnings at Risk (“EAR”), which measures the impact of hypothetical changes in interest rates on net interest income; and
Economic Value of Equity (“EVE”), which measures the sensitivity or change in the economic value of equity to changes in interest rates.
A number of potential interest rate scenarios are simulated using our asset liability management system. The Bank is the primary source of interest rate risk within the Company. At present, a significant portion of the Bank’s earning assets and a large balance of deposits are indexed to 1-month LIBOR. Therefore, 1-month LIBOR is considered a core rate in our interest rate risk analysis. 1-month LIBOR and other rates are shocked in parallel for shock scenarios unless otherwise indicated. In addition, key rates are modeled with a floor, which indicates how low each specific rate is likely to move in practice. On April 1, 2021, we began offering variable-rate Private Education Loans based on the 30-day average SOFR, replacing 1-month LIBOR for new originations. Rates are adjusted up or down via a set of scenarios that includes both rate shocks and ramps. Rate shocks represent an immediate and sustained change in key rates, including both 1-month LIBOR and 30-day average SOFR, with the resulting changes in other indices correlated accordingly. Interest rate ramps represent a linear increase in those key rates over the course of 12 months, with the resulting changes in other indices correlated accordingly.
The following tables summarize the potential effect on earnings over the next 24 months and the potential effect on market values of balance sheet assets and liabilities at March 31, 2022 and 2021, based upon a sensitivity analysis performed by management assuming hypothetical increases in market interest rates of 100 and 300 basis points while credit and funding spreads remain constant. EAR analysis assumes a static balance sheet, with maturities of each product replaced with assumed issuance of new products of the same type. The EVE sensitivity is applied only to financial assets and liabilities, including hedging instruments, that existed at the balance sheet date, and does not reflect any impact of new assets, liabilities, commitments, or hedging instruments that may arise in the future.
With current interest rates very low, a 100 or 300-basis point downward rate shock does not provide a meaningful indication of interest rate sensitivity, so results for those scenarios have not been presented. At March 31, 2022, the full impact of a 100-basis point downward rate shock cannot be modeled for some instruments on our balance sheet, due to the current low rate environment. The EAR results for March 31, 2022 indicate a market risk profile of low sensitivity to rate changes, based on static balance sheet assumptions over the next two years. This position has shifted slightly negative but demonstrates a very balanced position. The EVE metrics are very similar to results from one year ago.
20222021
As of March 31,+300
Basis Points
+100
Basis Points
-100
Basis Points
+300
Basis Points
+100
Basis Points
-100
Basis Points
EAR - Shock-0.11%0.0%N/A+4.0%+1.4%N/A
EAR - Ramp-0.26%-0.1%N/A+3.9%+1.4%N/A
EVE-13.3%-4.5%N/A-13.7%-4.9%N/A
    
In the preceding tables, the interest rate sensitivity analysis reflects the balance sheet mix of fully variable LIBOR, SOFR, and Prime-based loans, and fully variable funding, including brokered CDs that have been converted to LIBOR through derivative transactions. The analysis assumes that retail MMDAs and retail savings balances, while relatively sensitive to interest rate changes, will not correlate 100 percent to the full interest rate shocks or ramps. Also considered is the impact of FFELP Loans, which receive floor income in low interest rate environments, and will therefore not reprice fully with interest rate shocks.
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Although we believe that these measurements provide an estimate of our interest rate sensitivity, they do not account for potential changes in credit quality, balance sheet mix, and size of our balance sheet. They also do not account for other business developments that could affect net income, or for management actions that could affect net income or could be taken to change our risk profile. Accordingly, we can give no assurance that actual results would not differ materially from the estimated outcomes of our simulations. Further, such simulations do not represent our current view of expected future interest rate movements.
Asset and Liability Funding Gap
The table below presents our assets and liabilities (funding) arranged by underlying indices as of March 31, 2022. In the following GAAP presentation, the funding gap only includes derivatives that qualify as effective hedges (those derivatives which are reflected in net interest income, as opposed to those reflected in the “gains (losses) on derivatives and hedging activities, net” line on the consolidated statements of income). The difference between the asset and the funding is the funding gap for the specified index. This represents at a high level our exposure to interest rate risk in the form of basis risk and repricing risk, which is the risk that the different indices may reset at different frequencies or may not move in the same direction or at the same magnitude. (Note that all fixed-rate assets and liabilities are aggregated into one line item, which does not capture the differences in time due to maturity.)

As of March 31, 2022
(dollars in millions)
Index
Frequency of
Variable
Resets
Assets
Funding (1)
Funding
Gap
Fed Funds Effective Ratedaily/weekly/monthly$— $691.9 $(691.9)
SOFR Ratemonthly1,867.8 1,255.3 612.5 
3-month Treasury billweekly103.7 — 103.7 
Primemonthly28.5 — 28.5 
3-month LIBORquarterly— 251.1 (251.1)
1-month LIBORmonthly9,244.7 7,182.6 2,062.1 
1-month LIBORdaily578.6 — 578.6 
Non-Discrete reset(2)
daily/weekly3,489.4 4,343.2 (853.8)
Fixed-Rate(3)
 13,739.1 15,327.7 (1,588.6)
Total $29,051.8 $29,051.8 $— 
         
(1)     Funding (by index) includes the impact of all derivatives that qualify as effective hedges.
(2)     Assets include restricted and unrestricted cash equivalents and other overnight type instruments. Funding includes liquid retail deposits and the obligation to return cash collateral held related to derivatives exposures.
(3)     Assets include receivables and other assets (including premiums and reserves). Funding includes unswapped time deposits, liquid MMDAs swapped to fixed-rates and stockholders' equity.

The “Funding Gap” in the above table shows primarily mismatches in the Fed Funds Effective, SOFR, 1-Month LIBOR monthly, Non-Discrete reset, and fixed-rate categories. Changes in the Fed Funds Effective Rate, SOFR, 3-month LIBOR and 1-Month LIBOR daily categories are generally quite highly correlated and the rates should offset each other relatively effectively. The funding in the fixed-rate bucket includes $1.8 billion of equity and $0.3 billion of non-interest bearing liabilities. We consider the overall repricing risk to be moderate, which is supported by other analyses of interest rate sensitivity.
We use interest rate swaps and other derivatives to achieve our risk management objectives. Our asset liability management strategy is to match assets with debt (in combination with derivatives) that have the same underlying index and reset frequency or have interest rate characteristics that we believe are highly correlated. The use of funding with index types and reset frequencies that are different from our assets exposes us to interest rate risk in the form of basis and repricing risk. This could result in our cost of funds not moving in the same direction or with the same magnitude as the yield on our assets. While we believe this risk is low, as all of these indices are short-term with rate movements that are highly correlated over a long period of time, market disruptions (some currently impacting today’s market) can lead to a temporary divergence between indices, resulting in a negative impact to our earnings.
74 SLM CORPORATION


Weighted Average Life
The following table reflects the weighted average lives of our earning assets and liabilities at March 31, 2022.
 
As of March 31, 2022
(averages in years)
Weighted Average Life
Earning assets 
Education loans4.83 
Cash and investments1.62 
Total earning assets4.15 
Deposits
Short-term deposits0.98 
Long-term deposits2.63 
Total deposits1.33 
Borrowings
Long-term borrowings3.55 
Total borrowings3.55 

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Item 4.     Controls and Procedures

Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of March 31, 2022. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of March 31, 2022, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
No change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2022 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

76 SLM CORPORATION


PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.    Legal Proceedings
We and our subsidiaries and affiliates are subject to various claims, lawsuits, and other actions that arise in the normal course of business. It is common for the Company, our subsidiaries, and affiliates to receive information and document requests and investigative demands from state attorneys general, legislative committees, and administrative agencies. These requests may be for informational or regulatory purposes and may relate to our business practices, the industries in which we operate, or other companies with whom we conduct business. Our practice has been and continues to be to cooperate with these bodies and be responsive to any such requests.
For additional information regarding our legal proceedings, see Part I, Item 3. “Legal Proceedings” in our 2021 Form 10-K.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Our business activities involve a variety of risks. Readers should carefully consider the risk factors disclosed in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our 2021 Form 10-K.

Item 2.    Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Share Repurchases
The following table provides information relating to our purchase of shares of our common stock in the three months ended March 31, 2022.
 
(In thousands,
except per share data)
Total Number
of Shares
Purchased(1)
Average Price
Paid per
Share
Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs(2)(3)  
Approximate Dollar
Value
of Shares That
May Yet Be
Purchased Under
Publicly Announced
Plans or
Programs(2)
Period:   
January 1 - January 31, 20221,190 $18.90 633 $1,276,000 
February 1 - February 28, 20222,374 $19.78 2,220 $1,232,000 
March 1 - March 31, 20226,904 $17.94 6,680 $1,113,000 
Total first-quarter 202210,468 $18.46 9,533  

(1)      The total number of shares purchased includes: (i) shares purchased under the stock repurchase programs discussed herein, and (ii) shares of our common stock tendered to us to satisfy the exercise price in connection with cashless exercises of stock options, and tax withholding obligations in connection with exercises of stock options and vesting of restricted stock, restricted stock units, and performance stock units.
(2)     In the first quarter of 2022, we utilized all capacity then remaining under the 2021 Share Repurchase Program. As of March 31, 2022, we had $1.1 billion remaining under the 2022 Share Repurchase Program.
(3)    In the first quarter of 2022, we repurchased 9.5 million shares under our 10b5-1 trading plans. See Note 10, “Stockholders’ Equity” to our consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-Q for further discussion.

The closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on March 31, 2022 was $18.36.

Item 3.    Defaults Upon Senior Securities
Nothing to report.
Item 4.    Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
Item 5.    Other Information
Nothing to report.
SLM CORPORATION 77


Item 6.    Exhibits
The following exhibits are furnished or filed, as applicable:
10.1
10.2
31.1
31.2
32.1
32.2
101.INSXBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
101.SCHXBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.
101.CALXBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.
101.DEFXBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.
101.LABXBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.
101.PREXBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.
104Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).
 



78 SLM CORPORATION


SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 
SLM CORPORATION
(Registrant)
By:
/S/ STEVEN J. MCGARRY
 
Steven J. McGarry
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
Date: April 27, 2022

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